What is your current position?
I am a Dr. rer. nat. candidate in the group of Prof. Mario Zaiss at Medicine 3 – Rheumatology & Immunology at Friedrich‑Alexander‑University and Universitätsklinikum Erlangen. Furthermore, I am part of the Transregio CRC 369 “DIONE – Degeneration of Bone due to Inflammation”.
What is your main research focus?
My main research focus is the gut-bone and the gut-joint axis in rheumatoid arthritis. I’m investigating how (subclinical) inflammatory processes in the gut can foster bone loss and joint inflammation, supported and enabled by endothelial leakiness. By exploring the cells in the different locations of interest, I’m aiming to identify the key players underlying the gut-bone and gut-joint axis.
What does your typical workday look like?
A typical workday does not really exist for me since it depends on experiments. My workdays are a mixture of wet-lab and dry-lab work. I really enjoy that I can do both: working at the lab-bench but also extensively analysing data, e.g. large omics-datasets. Aside, I’m learning new things every day.
Meet our Researcher – Ben Wielockx
What is your current position?
I am Professor for Inflammatory diseases and Group Leader at the Institute of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine at the University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, TU Dresden. I also lead the Experimental Center, which includes responsibility for the central animal research facility at the Faculty of Medicine.
What is your main research focus?
My research group studies hypoxia signaling pathways, with a focus on the functions of hypoxia-inducible factors (HIFs) and erythropoietin (EPO) in inflammation, vascular function, and bone homeostasis. Using in vivo mouse models, we study how systemic signals influence immune responses and tissue integrity in chronic disease settings.
What does your typical workday look like?
My day usually starts early with management of the operational structure and personnel at the Experimental Center. I then divide my time between supervising research in the lab, discussing data with Ph.D. students and postdoctoral researchers, and strategic planning. I integrate writing, reviewing, and mentoring throughout the week, whenever focused time allows.
