The Eurolife PhD & Postdoc Mobility and Knowledge Exchange Programme is designed to strengthen collaboration across the Eurolife network by supporting junior scientists in undertaking research stays at fellow member institutions. A recent example is Dr. Tamás Pongrácz, a postdoctoral researcher at Karolinska Institutet, who visited the Center for Proteomics and Metabolomics at Leiden University Medical Center, the Netherlands. His exchange highlights the programme’s value in fostering scientific collaboration, knowledge exchange, and international networking across the Eurolife community.

Here is a glimpse into Tamás’s exchange experience in Leiden:

Project title: Affinity chromatography – mass spectrometry for structure-function characterization of IgA glycoforms

“During the exchange, I aimed to lay the cornerstone for an affinity liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC-MS) platform enabling the resolution and assessment of IgA–FcαRI interactions in an oligomeric state and glycosylation-dependent manner. The development of such methods to study IgA-mediated immune responses have hitherto been lacking, but with the emergence of active and passive mucosal immunization strategies, such tools are urgently needed to assess safety and efficacy of vaccine-induced and/or locally applied IgA.
[…]
The key outcome of the exchange is the successful establishment of proof-of-concept platform to investigate IgA-FcαRI interactions, which allowed […] to acquire new skills in glycoanalytics. Overall, this will lead to better understanding of structure-function relationships mediated by IgA and broaden scientific horizons within a transnational collaborative setting.
Herewith I would like to express my gratitude for the support of this project and exchange”.