Congratulations to Melissa on her PhD defence

Melissa defends PhD on angiotensin II receptor signalling in cerebrovascular disease

We are pleased to announce that Dr. Melissa Colin successfully defended her PhD thesis on April 7th, 2026, entitled "Impact of an Angiotensin II Type 1 Receptor Biased Agonist on Cerebral Circulation: Preclinical Insights into Health and Disease", under the supervision of W. Matthijs Blankesteijn, and co supervision of Sébastien Foulquier.

Her research focused on the role of the renin-angiotensin system in cerebrovascular diseases, with a particular focus on stroke. In her thesis, Melissa investigated a novel class of compounds that selectively target protective signalling pathways of the angiotensin II type 1 receptor, aiming to reduce brain damage while preserving beneficial vascular functions.

The findings show that the biased agonist TRV120027 can reduce stroke-related brain injury in experimental models and highlight its potential as a new therapeutic strategy for cerebrovascular diseases. This work contributes to the development of more targeted treatments for stroke and related neurological disorders.

Congratulations Melissa on this achievement!

The recording of the defence can be rewatched here.