Manitoban Diane Tshikudi “top doctoral student in health sciences” in the country

Diane Tshikudi will thus represent Canada at the Lindau Conference in Germany where she will present her research work to a panel made up of a dozen Nobel laureates.

It’s kinda amazing, she launches in the middle of two bursts of laughter. The one who came first in Canada after a very selective process in several stages both provincially and nationally says she is still in shock.

At each stage, candidates must present and defend their projects in front of scientists and former winners of the Gairdner Prize, awarded annually to five people whose work represents a concrete achievement in the field of medical science.

Not only is doctoral student Diane Tshikudi one of five winners of this year’s Gairdner Prize, but she finishes in first place in the subsequent stages, which earns her the Lindau Prize.

Thanks to this prize, she will travel to Germany at a later date where she will have the opportunity to meet former Nobel Prize winners.

For a scientist to be associated with the Nobel Prize is something extraordinaryreacts Diane Tshikudi.

For her, the fact to be able to do research in Canada, to graduate from a department of the University of Manitoba and to represent Canada in Germany in front of Nobel Prizes is really great.

It gives us the opportunity to present our research in front of a larger audience and in front of renowned scientists, there are many chances for me to be able to exchange my knowledge and learn from these people.she continues.

According to Professor Jean-Eric Ghia, who directs the work of the doctoral student in the Department of Immunology at the University of Manitoba, with this distinction, Diane Tshikudi can thus be considered as the best doctoral student in health sciences in Canada.

I am very very proud of her! I’m not sure this will happen to our lab a second timehe wrote in an email.

Advance research and treatment for inflammatory diseases

The doctoral student from the University of Manitoba is interested in inflammatory bowel diseases, the best known of which are Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.

According to her, studies have revealed that Chromogranin A is the molecule implicated in the severity of ulcerative colitis in mice and that it was linked to ulcer formation.

My role is to evaluate the role of this molecule directly on the cells that cover the intestinal walls, where ulcers appear and to see if we can use this as a therapeutic target.explains Ms. Tshikudi.

Other research has shown that Chromogranin A could have a role, I have to show the mechanisms of Chromogranin A in the severity or not of the disease on the intestinal walls.

A projection into the future

For those who are in their second year of doctoral studies, it’s not too early to think about future projects. If all goes well, she will finish her studies in 4 years with a focus on teaching.

After my studies, I would like to become a teachershe said, smiling frankly.

In the sights of postdoctoral studies in order to deepen his knowledge and make a greater contribution to the medical issues of the present and the future.

There are diseases like Crohn’s disease which used to affect only a small number, but the number is increasing now, […] to be able to do research to find therapies for these diseases is one of the things I would like to do.

With information from Simon Deschamps