Dr. Nina Ogrinc

DETAILS

I am a researcher at the Center for Proteomics and Metabolomics (CPM) at LUMC in the MS Imaging group. I’m intrigued by how molecules interact with each other in tissues and the role they play in disease states. Fascinated by what mass spectrometry (MS) can offer in a spatial context, I devoted my career to become an expert in Mass Spectrometry Imaging (MSI). MSI enables me to identify molecular profiles, biomarkers (lipids, metabolites, proteins) and exploit their role in various biomedical applications, particularly cancer.  Through diverse and impactful projects, I continuously pushed the frontiers of MSI, contributing both to fundamental science and its translation into clinical applications.

During my phD at University of Ljubljana and Low and Medium Energy Physics at Jozef Stefan Institute (Slovenia, 2015), I embraced the challenge of developing a novel secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) probe to characterize tissues and cells at subcellular resolution. After, I seized the opportunity to advance my expertise in MSI in Prof. Ron Heeren’s group at AMOLF/M4I (The Netherlands) as a postdoc on the Marie Curie BRAINPATH project. Here my work was devoted to using a multimodal MSI approach to identify novel biomarkers in neurodegeneration and brain plasticity.

In 2018, I pursued my career at Laboratory PRISM (Inserm U1192, University of Lille, France) realizing my long lasting dream of bringing mass spectrometry and mass spectrometry imaging to solve clinical needs. I worked on a highly innovative SpiderMass project, an instrument designed for guided surgery and real-time diagnosis and developed the first prototype for in-vivo molecular mass spectrometry imaging.

At CPM, I continue my ambition by integrating spatial multiomic approaches to identify molecular disease phenotypes, and use these biomarkers for screening through diagnostics to therapy. 
 

CURRICULUM VITAE

2024-present: Researcher in the MS Imaging group, Center for Proteomics and Metabolomics, Leiden University Medical Center, The Netherlands

2020- present: Chair of the Mass Spectrometry Imaging Study Group, European Society for Molecular Imaging

2018-2023: Postdoctoral researcher at Laboratory PRISM, Inserm U1192, University of Lille, France

2014-2018: Postdoctoral researcher at Maastricht Multimodal Molecular Imaging (M4I) Institute, Maastricht University, The Netherlands

2011-2015: PhD Student at Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology, University of Ljubljana and Low and Medium Energy Physics (F2), Jozef Stefan Institute, Slovenia. Thesis: Elemental and molecular characterization of biological tissue with a focused high-energy ion beam.