As Lead Scientist, Mieneke’s medical research experience will
contribute to delivering a scientifically sound solution to society to
predict and prevent early postoperative surgical site infections
non-invasively.
Mieneke acquired in-depth practical knowledge and experience in
molecular biology in renal xenograft transplantation and co-developed
innovations in xenotransplantation resulting in a highly innovative
human transgenic mouse platform as a postdoctoral research fellow in the
Department of Human Genetics, Center of Excellence in Erasmus University
Rotterdam.
Recruited to her Alma Mater, the Department of Nephrology in Leiden
University Medical Center (LUMC), she launched microarray gene
technology and identified culprit genes in chronic renal allograft
rejection and engaged in the initiation of the collection of RNA -
stable human renal allograft biopsies for the European biopsy tissue
bank.
During her tenure in the National Health & Laboratory Service in
Johannesburg, Mieneke was awarded the prestigious annual Hillel
Friedland Postdoctoral Fellowship and honoured a consecutive year after
successful medical research in Tuberculosis, while securing the
accreditation of the Department with the Health Professional Council of
South Africa. She created and delivered lectures in the Medical Faculty
of the University of the Witwatersrand with positive student reviews.
Mieneke remains an avid volunteer for the United World Colleges (UWC)
and set up teams in Luxemburg to recruit, select and fund promising
students for UWC worldwide. More recently in Singapore she has
co-initiated a partnership to build schools and libraries in rural
Myanmar.
Mieneke holds a Master Degree in Biochemistry and a PhD in Immunology
(IgA Nephropathy in Experimental Kidney Disease) completed in the
department of Nephrology of Leiden University Medical Center.