Sara Russo

164 Appendix ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Wow, what a journey! I can’t believe I’m at the point of wrapping up my thesis. Huge shoutout to everyone who made this wild ride possible; your support means the world to me! It’s been a rollercoaster of research, late nights, and way too much coffee. But I wouldn’t be here without the incredible people who had my back. Time to give credit where credit’s due! First and foremost, I would like to express my gratitude to my promoters, Rainer Bischoff and Barbro Melgert. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to join your departments and develop my PhD projects. Dear Rainer, thank you for introducing me to the world of chromatography and mass spectrometry. I will forever be amazed by your deep knowledge of the most disparate topics. Thanks for helping me develop my critical and analytical thought. My favorite memory will always be dancing together at your retirement party. I wish you more happy days like that. Dear Barbro, thank you for unexpectedly welcoming me into your group. I came to Groningen with a love for biology and immunology, but thanks to you, I discovered my passion for macrophages. Traveling to Iceland and then enjoying the Blue Lagoon together with Rosa was an unforgettable experience. I wish you success in all your future endeavors, involving macrophages and beyond. Thanks to Marcel Kwaitkowski and Natalia Govorukhina for your help, especially at the beginning of my Ph.D. I would like to thank the members of my assessment committee: Prof. M. Schmidt, Prof. G. Hopfgartner, and Prof. F.J. Dekker, for taking the time to review my thesis. I look forward to discussing the findings described in my thesis with you during my defense. Big thanks to my awesome co-authors for their fantastic teamwork and collaborative spirit in crafting our manuscripts.. Many thanks in particular to our dedicated laboratory technicians for their invaluable support and expertise throughout my research endeavors! Thanks to the Analytical Biochemistry group: thank you for witnessing my growth in the lab, and sharing not only the chemistry know-how but also memorable moments like Christmas dinners and lab outings. Special thanks to Jos for his enduring patience, Hjalmar for being an amazing co-supervisor, and Karin for the pleasure of collaboration: from our shared love for chocolate to a joint publication! Wishing you great success and exciting adventures worldwide.

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