CryoStore at LUH - Oleksandra Hubenia
PhD 3 - Non-invasive visualisation of changes in reproductive cell during cryopreservation
My name is Oleksandra Hubenia, and I am from Ukraine. I studied at the Faculty of Radiophysics, Biomedical Electronics and Computer Systems at V. N. Karazin National University in Kharkiv, where I earned my Master's degree in Biophysics in 2020.
Transitioning into the realm of research, I joined the biochemistry research group led by Professor O. Petrenko at the Institute for Problems of Cryobiology and Cryomedicine of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine in 2021. Initially starting as an engineer, I swiftly progressed to the role of a Junior researcher. During my work at the institute, I gained important skills in microscopy, cell culture, and cryopreservation of biological objects.
However, the outbreak of war in 2022 compelled me to leave my homeland. I sought refuge in Germany, specifically in Hannover, where I was fortunate to receive a scholarship from the DAAD Foundation. This enabled me to continue my academic pursuits and contribute to the Open Educational Resources with Ukraine project until March 2024. In between the OER projects, I worked on the Leibniz Yung Investigator Grants project "Biopreservation by electroporation of 3D tissue-engineered structures with enhanced heat transfer". This project focused on a novel biopreservation strategy based on the electroporation loading of human cells with natural cryoprotectants such as sucrose and trihalose. I also continued to investigate the metabolic state of mesenchymal stem cells encapsulated in alginate core-shell capsules and worked on the creation of a bank of native stem cells from the human umbilical cord.
Since April 1, 2024, I have embarked on a new academic venture as a PhD student at the Institute of Multiphysical Processes at Leibniz University Hannover, under the guidance of Prof. Glasmacher, Prof. O. Petrenko, Dr. Marc Müller and Dr. Fabian Will on non-invasive imaging of changes in reproductive cells during cryopreservation. In the CryoStore project, I will work on the cryopreservation of reproductive cells with a focus on the dynamics of cryoprotectant diffusion and structural changes in sperm and oocytes.