Luisa Wensky, a third-year PhD candidate in the Department of Internal Medicine, has won the PhD Student Competition at the 2026 FIGON-LDDC Dutch Medicines Days. She was selected as the winner from a field of eight PhD researchers and received the first prize of €750. Next year, Luisa will represent the Netherlands at the European-level competition.
 
Her research explores the role of methylglyoxal in vascular ageing and dysfunction. In her presentation, 'Methylglyoxal Under Attack: A Multi-Compound Cocktail Strategy for Vascular Protection in Aging and Diabetes', she presented a combination treatment designed both to capture methylglyoxal directly and to enhance its breakdown. In a mouse model of type 1 diabetes, the treatment lowered circulating methylglyoxal levels and improved endothelial function and aortic distensibility. These findings support methylglyoxal metabolism as a potential target for protecting vascular health in diabetes and ageing.