The last two months Tina Kolenc Milavec, a PhD student from the Department of Genetic Toxicology and Cancer Biology at the National Institute of Biology (NIB), spent at University Medical Center in Amsterdam, in the group of Febe van Maldegem. During the expert visit she learnt all about the Imaging Mass Cytometry, a relatively new method, which has a lot of potential in the field of cancer research. She gained insight into theoretical background of the IMC, different practical applications of the method, but most importantly, she was given the opportunity to do some preliminary analysis of the immune microenvironment of glioblastoma organoid samples using IMC method. All the work was done with the help of Sofie Koomen, a PhD student from Febe’s group, who has a lot of expertise with the IMC method.

Tina waws also actively included in Febe’s group to optimize protocols and to establish lung organoids cultures, derived from tissue samples of patients with lung tumours. Looking into immune microenvironment will give us insight into the stability and dynamics of organoid composition and answer the question whether organoids are relevant cancer models for cancer research.

In the end, Tina would like to thank Febe van Maldegem for giving her the opportunity to learn new things and for a delightful farewell dinner, Sofie Koomen for all the help in the lab, for all the knowledge she shared with her and all the sweet treats, as well as all other members of Febe’s group for always making her fell welcome.