February 2025

She said: ¨I am delighted to share that I successfully defended my PhD entitled "Experimental exploration of the microbiome in the intervertebral disc". A huge thank you to Professor Christine Le Maitre, Melissa Lacey and Benjamin Gantenbein for the support throughout this project! Furthermore I would like to thank everyone involved in the Disc4All EU Project, the BMRC and MedSchool you made this journey unforgettable.¨

Andrea Nüesch

Congratulations to Paola Bermudez Lekerika having passed very successfully her PhD defense! Great work and great talk! She said ¨I had the privilege of successfully completing my PhD degree. I am really honored of sharing my PhD journey with so many great scientists and amazing colleagues. Special thanks to my supervisor Benjamin Gantenbein and co-supervisor Professor Christine Le Maitre for their constant support and guidance. In addition, I would like to thank all the fantastic Disc4All EU Project members. It has been a pleasure meeting and spending a great time with each of you, at professional and personal level! I hope our paths cross again in the future!

Thank everyone again for joining me during the defense.¨ Graduate School for Cellular and Biomedical Sciences, University of Bern

Ubern