Acknowledgement/Remerciements

Acknowledgement/Remerciements
So this is the time for a last and personal word. During those 6 years and 7 month in
Groningen (not that I counted the days but…) I have met a lot of people outside and
inside the work sphere that contributed to make this adventure possible and enjoyable. So
the purpose of these pages (probably the most read pages ☺) is to say thank you to all of
you.
First of all I would like to begin with my two promotores Pr. Dick Hoekstra and Pr. Jan
Engberts. Dick, thank you for welcoming me in your lab, giving me the opportunity to
develop this experience abroad and challenging me every day to make me a better
scientist. Your writing skills and diligence for the corrections of my manuscript helped
relieve many writing blocks. Jan, it was always a pleasure to share with you new results
and your constant cheering, interest and enthusiasm allowed me to push through and
complete this thesis. In the time spent at your department I will also remember the
morning rituals of the coffee with everybody and discussions from science to philosophy.
Furthermore, I would like to thank the members of my reading committee, Pr. G.
Molema, Pr. H. J. Haisma and Pr. G. L. Scherphof for taking the time to assess my
manuscript. Your advices for some final corrections were greatly appreciated.
Although doing a Ph D is somehow a lonely process you need many people to collaborate
with, whose skills allow the project to mature. Thanks to the people of the Organic
Chemistry department: Marc, Anno, Jaap and Marco your help for the gemini project
(ideas, products, techniques and positive vibrations) was greatly appreciated. Ingrid,
thank you for your enthusiasm and energy, your vividness allowed gaining some precious
time with the in vivo experiments. Go, you made me discover the fancy bio-imaging
system, so thank you for those very good looking pictures. Riekje thanks for your time
and your considerate attitude.
To my colleagues from the Membrane Cell Biology (past and present), I want to say that
it was a real pleasure to work there. Exchanging tips in the lab, discussing results in
group meeting, chatting in the corridors, eating cake by the lift, celebrating Sinterklaas,
walking in the mud or watching birds all activities I will miss and some very nice
souvenirs. I don’t exactly know where I will be in the next future but where ever it is if
you’re in the neighborhood don’t hesitate to visit me. Fuxin, I really have to thank you
because this thesis would not have been possible without your input. You are the proof
that kindness and determination can be united in one person. Inge, thanks for those
discussions about all kind of aspects of gene delivery it was nice to have until the very
end someone with your expertise to talk with. Sandrine, merci pour ton aide technique ou
psychologique.
Thanks to all the 1049ers, my roommates from room 1049 (and there has been a few).
Zuzana, Kacper and Tiemen we sure had some good laugh talking about anything from
work to relationships. Thanks also to some former roommates Tounsia (je me souviens
encore de ce fameux Couscous!) and Jarmila. Many thanks to my lunch buddies Delphine
(A.K.A. Juanita Banana), Kacper, Olaf, Jan and Danny for our daily expeditions to the
hospital restaurant (who said scientists only feed on articles…). Jan thank you for fixing
so many little things in the lab.
Music is an important part of my life and I shared a lot of good grooves with a lot of
people throughout these years. In particular I would like to thank some member or exmembers of Kopieraait: Mike, Cedric, Erik and Steph (Rock on guys!). Thanks to Kacper
for the nice Sundays-jam sessions. Thanks to Hendrik Jan from the Noorder Muziek
Instituut, always a nice guitar riff to teach me.
Alena, Asia and Mark thank you for the good times and nice company. Mark, bedankt
voor de vertaling van het samenvatting, as you see I would have been quite unable to do
it properly.
My dear friends Flo, Virginia, Jerome and Norel, we did not make it to Berlin or NY (at
least together) but the time spent in Groningen or anywhere else was an even nicer
journey. Seeing you all leave Groningen one by one was really tough and made me
realize how much I valued the moments shared with you. Your constant support even
after you were gone helped me through rough times.
En effet, on ne réalise vraiment bien les liens qui nous unissent avec nos proches que
quand on est loin. C’est donc très réconfortant de pouvoir « rentrer » et retrouver des
têtes familières et amicales. Merci à Fred (recordman des visites à Groningen) et Oana,
Olivier, Hélène, Louis et Coline (ma si adorable filleule), Bastou et Nanou, Ludo et
Muriel, Yanno (mon hôte parisien).
Cédric, Fiona, Magali et Estelle, la petite famille Humblot et ma famille d’adoption ici à
Groningue. Merci pour tout, merci pour votre chaleur, votre souci constant à me nourrir
et votre soutien de tous les instants.
Achille, à chaque fois qu’on se voit j’ai l’impression qu’on s’est quitté la veille, pourtant
de longues années s’écoulent dans l’intervalle. Ca doit être la magie d’internet, peut-être
dans le futur aurais-je l’occasion de vous voir plus souvent toi, Marie et Béni. Tonton
Isidore, merci pour tes encouragements et tes conseils. Papa, merci pour m’avoir donné le
goût d’apprendre et transmit des méthodes pour étudier efficacement. Plus que
d’apprendre bêtement il faut apprendre à apprendre c’est ce que j’ai retenu de quand tu
nous faisais faire les devoirs. Je compte sur vous pour transmettre mes amitiés au Togo et
au Canada.
Au sud de la France il ya du monde à remercier pour des repas de Noël animés, des
vacances à Sainte-Marie, des chorégraphies endiablés sur les disques des Village People.
Ca fait du monde tout ca : Le Nics (et Jessica ou Samantha ? ;-) !!), Cécé et Vince, Fanou
et Dédé, Véro et Marco, Reine-Marie, Mamie et la 4ème génération Sophie et Alessio, bref
une vrai famille italienne avec les éclats et le cœur. Je me demande ce qu’aurait pensé
Pépé de ma thèse tiens, il aurait probablement fait une blague.
Ma soeurette adorée, ma Ouetta, et bien merci pour ces 33 ans, je ne me suis pas ennuyé,
c’est passé vraiment vite ! Je chéris cette complicité entre nous qui s’est renforcée avec
les années. Je vous souhaite à toi et Steph une bonne installation et surtout d’acheter des
meubles plus léger en cas de déménagement (Pourquoi pas gonflables ?). Pour finir
Mamanou, il est grand temps que je te remercie, je n’aurais jamais entamé un projet de
telle envergure si tu ne m’avais pas communiqué ta soif d’absolu et ton désir de voir audelà des apparences (peut-être aussi ne l’aurais-je pas entamé si j’en avais apprécié par
avance l’envergure…). On utilise pas les mêmes moyens mais c’est bien la recherche qui
compte et ce n’est que le début. La confiance que tu as en moi est un cadeau précieux.
Merci à tous - Thank you all.
Luc
“I just hope we won’t get stuck in Lungs!”