We are pleased to announce that student Raounak Merfoud, enrolled in the Master's program in Cellular Physiology and Pathophysiology at the University of TlemcenFaculty SNVSTU (Algeria), has been honored with an Excellence Award as part of the AFRIDI project between the University of Tlemcen and the University of Tunis El Manar (Tunisia). This distinction recognizes the scientific quality of her work and her remarkable academic trajectory.

As part of her AFRIDI scholarship internship for the Euro-Mediterranean Master of Research in Neurosciences (EMN) at the University of Tunis El Manar, she conducted research on the impact of exposure to polystyrene nanoplastics and glyphosate on the progression of type 1 diabetes.

The study was carried out on a murine model (C57BL/6JRj mice) and combined multiple experimental approaches, including: Assays for oxidative stress, cytotoxicity, and hepatotoxicity, Insulin measurement by ELISA, Molecular docking analyses, Quantitative PCR analyses, As well as behavioral tests.

This work was supervised by:

Prof. Mokhtari Soulimane Nassima Amel, University of Tlemcen (Algeria);

Prof. Masmoudi Olfa, University of Tunis El Manar (Tunisia).

We extend our most sincere congratulations to the student for this well-deserved distinction.