TAME Fellows
the next generation of researchers
Discover the TAME fellows selected to contribute to a better understanding of tau-related diseases and supports the development of new, safer, personalised and more effective diagnosis and interventions for Alzheimer’s disease and the less common tauopathies.
As part of the TAME network—a multidisciplinary and international consortium of world-class scientists—our fellows are immersed in cutting-edge research and training. Their work exemplifies the mission of TAME: to prepare the next generation of experts in diagnostics and drug development for neurodegenerative diseases, fostering impactful collaborations across academia and industry.
Mariona GENÉ VERDÉS | FMP – Berlin
Mariona holds a Bachelor’s degree in Biotechnology from the University of Barcelona, completed with a thesis internship at Humboldt University of Berlin. She later contributed to biomarker research for Alzheimer’s disease as a research fellow at the University of Barcelona. She earned a Master’s in Medical Biotechnology at KTH Royal Institute of Technology, completing her thesis at Karolinska Institutet on protein synthesis and control. Her passion for molecular neuroscience and neurodegenerative disease therapy motivated her to join the TAME network.
WP2 - Building Technology
Engineering cell-permeable tau Nanobodies based on phosphonothiolate labelling
Mariagrazia SCARANO | Hybrigenics Services – France
Mariagrazia holds a master’s degree in Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Technologies from the University of Trieste, Italy. During her Erasmus+ internship at KU Leuven, she gained expertise in nanobody production and characterization at the Laboratory of Therapeutic and Diagnostic Antibodies. Her interest in antibody technologies and their therapeutic potential motivated her to join the TAME network to explore their applications in neurodegenerative diseases.
WP2 - Building Technology
Selection method for bi-epitopic Nanobobies and new Nanobodies against tau
Samuele NESTI | CSIC – Spain
Samuele holds a master’s degree in Organic Chemistry from the University of Bologna. As part of his master’s thesis, he participated in the Erasmus+ Traineeship program, which brought him to the IQAC-CSIC institute in Barcelona. During this traineeship, he contributed to the synthesis and characterization of novel peptides and nanoprobes for triple-negative breast cancer. His strong interest in biosensors and medicinal chemistry has motivated him to join the Nb4D group and actively participate in the TAME network.
WP2 - Building Technology
Multiplexed diagnostic platform for tau-profiling in body fluids
Olav DE CLERCK | Deeplife – France
Olav holds a degree in Business Engineering from ULB (Brussels) and as obtained a master’s in AI from CentraleSupélec (Paris), for which he has completed an internship at Deeplife. There, he worked on foundation models applied to omics data, deepening his interest in the intersection of machine learning and biology. This experience reinforced his passion for data-driven research and inspired him to pursue a TAME PhD to further explore this field.
WP3 - Building Knowledge
Design numerical neuron models for mechanisms of action exploration
Androniki GIALLOURI | BSRC – Greece
Androniki is a BSc graduate in Biological Sciences from University of Reading and MSc graduate in Human Molecular Genetics from Imperial College London. She worked at the UCL Cancer Institute in London for her MSc Thesis and completed a 2-month internship at the Cyprus Institute of Neurology and Genetics in the Molecular Genetics Thalassemia Department. Her passion and interest in molecular biology and genetics has motivated her to join the TAME network as a PhD student at the Biomedical Sciences Reseach Center “Alexander Fleming”
Evangelia MANOUSAKI | CNRS – France
Evangelia holds an integrated master’s degree in pharmacy from the University of Patras, where she completed her thesis in Molecular Pharmacology. During an Erasmus+ internship at the Center for Antibody Technologies (DTU, Denmark), she gained expertise in nanobody technologies and contributed to developing a novel snake antivenom. Her long-standing interest in neuroscience and neurodegenerative diseases motivated her to join the TAME network to pursue collaborative multidisciplinary research.
Luisa BRAUN-WOHLFART | University of Gothenburg – Sweden
Luisa has a Master of Science degree in Cognitive and Clinical Neuroscience from Maastricht University, the Netherlands. During this degree, she spent 9 months in Barcelona for a graduate internship where she focused on the technical validation of potential protein biomarkers for Alzheimer’s Disease as well as their measurement in patient samples. Her personal interest in neurodegeneration and practical experience in assay development and validation has motivated her to join the TAME network.
WP4 - Evaluate Clinical interest
Developing digital ELISAs using single molecule array (Simoa) analysers
Ana Corina TUDOSE | VumC – Netherlands
Ana has a Bachelor’s degree in Pharmacy from the University of Groningen in the Netherlands. As part of her thesis, she worked with the Molecular Pharmacology group, contributing to the understanding and modelling of an Alzheimer’s disease-related molecular pathway in vitro. She recently completed a Master’s degree in Molecular Biology and Genetics at Sorbonne University in Paris, France. During this time, she completed two Erasmus+ internships. She spent five months at the Instituto Superior Téchnico in Lisbon, Portugal, contributing to research on building a human embryoinic stem cell (hESC)-based hypothalamic organoid for modelling Preder-Willi syndrome. For her thesis at Erasmus MC in Roterdam, the Netherlands , she worked on another neurodevelopmental disorder, investigating the functional and morphological role of the most recurrent genetic variant of CAMK2B (P139L) within iPSC-derived neurons. Her passion for molecular neurobiology and neorological disorders, and her desire to improve patient diagnosis and treatment, and her desire to improve patient diagnosis and treatment, have motivated her to join the TAME network.
Leo POTKONJAK | University of Liège – Belgium
Leo has a degree in Molecular Biotechnology from the University of Zagreb and in Bioindustrial Techniques from the University of Orleans. During his studies, he gained experience working with single-domain antibodies, focusing on their potential applications in biomedical research. His long-standing interest in improving healthcare solutions and contributing to advancements in diagnostics and treatments motivated him to join the TAME network, where he is eager to further develop his expertise in this innovative field.
WP4 - Evaluate Clinical Interest
Use of nano-bioconjugates as the next generation of imaging agents
Giovanni FERRO | Lille University – France
Giovanni holds a degree in Biotechnology and a master’s degree in Immunology, where his thesis focused on antibody immunotherapy against B cell lymphoma. This experience deepened his understanding of antibody-based treatments and further developed his interest in the immune system’s response to incurable diseases. His passion for this field has motivated him to pursue a PhD within the TAME network, where he is combining his interests in immunotherapy and nanobodies while exploring the complex interactions between neurons and the immune system in in-vivo models.
WP4 - Evaluate Clinical Interest
Expression of nanobodies or diabodies via AAV vectors in ThyTau22 mouse AD models for advanced imaging and behavioral studies
