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Seven researchers based in Utrecht have been awarded a €1.5 million Starting Grant by the European Research Council (ERC). The grant helps them to set up their own research project, assemble a research team and develop scientific ideas.

The seven researchers that have been awarded the grant are Suzan Ruijtenberg, Lisa Tran, Hanneke Vlaming (all from the Faculty of Science), Angelo Moretti, Verena Seibel, Anna Zhelnina (all from the Faculty of Social Sciences) and Noella Anton Bolanos (UMC Utrecht).

Projects and laureates

If we can better understand the rules of protein synthesis, we may one day intervene more effectively in diseases where this process is disrupted.

TRANS-CODE

Our bodies are made up of billions of cells. The identity and function of these cells is defined by the proteins they express. To keep our bodies healthy, protein production must be tightly regulated: proteins need to be made at the right time, in the right place, and in the right cells. Even small changes in protein production can have severe consequences, leading to diseases such as cancer or neurodegenerative disorders.

Despite its importance, we still know surprisingly little about how protein production is regulated—particularly when it comes to localized protein synthesis, where proteins are produced only in specific parts of a cell.

Using cutting-edge techniques and advanced microscopy, Ruijtenberg will visualize protein synthesis in real time within living animals, focusing on the tiny roundworm C. elegans. In a parallel approach, she will measure the efficiency of synthesis of thousands of proteins during the earliest stages of embryonic development. Her aim is to uncover the principles underlying protein synthesis and how this determines cell fate and function.

“If we can better understand the rules of protein synthesis, we may one day intervene more effectively in diseases where this process is disrupted—or optimize protein production for therapeutic purposes, such as insulin,” explains Ruijtenberg.

With this ERC grant, we can unravel nature’s tricks for building tough and beautiful materials, layer by layer, and defect by defect.

Bio-ReALM: Bio-inspired, Responsive, and Active Layered Materials

Insects, crustaceans, and countless other creatures make their external skeletons from simple ingredients, namely proteins and sugars. Yet by arranging these into layered, liquid-crystal-like stacks, they create shells that are both strong and visually striking. Tiny imperfections in the layers, known as defects, turn out to be crucial: they make the structures resistant to breaking and give rise to colors that never fade.

With her ERC Starting Grant, physicist Lisa Tran will explore how to recreate these natural strategies in the lab. Her project Bio-ReALM (Bio-inspired, Responsive, and Active Layered Materials) will mimic the out-of-equilibrium structures found in nature. To achieve this, her team will use specially designed colloids, or microscopic rods that can move, twist, and align. Unlike biological molecules, these colloids can be tracked directly with advanced imaging. This allows Tran’s team to see, in real time, how defects form and how they shape material properties.

Tran’s goal is to uncover the physics that underlies nature’s layered designs. By learning to control defects and microscopic layering, her team hopes to build synthetic materials that combine strength, resilience, and optical functionality. In the long run, these insights could inspire new, sustainable coatings and materials, that last longer and perform better.

This ERC grant enables my team to finally uncover why cells often hit the brakes when reading their genes.

STOP-OR-GO

When a cell wants to make a protein, it begins by reading a gene. But here’s the odd part: more often than not, the reading process stops short of the finish line. When that happens, the cell ends up with an incomplete protein or, more often, no protein at all. With her ERC Starting Grant, biologist Hanneke Vlaming will investigate why this happens: why sometimes the reading process, called transcription, halts, and other times it runs to completion.

Many scientists assume that once transcription begins, it will continue unless something actively stops it. Vlaming, however, believes the opposite. “My idea is that stopping early is actually the default,” she explains. “Only when the cell gets a strong ‘go’ signal, the transcription will reach the finish line.”

Her research aims to uncover what these ‘go signals’ are, and which proteins transmit them. To do this, she will run large-scale experiments using CRISPR technology, a powerful tool to cut and edit DNA with precision. The results promise not only new fundamental insights, but also clues about what goes wrong with gene transcription in diseases such as neurological disorders. “I’m excited that this grant allows me to expand my research group,” says Vlaming. “Together we can put the puzzle pieces together faster, and also train a new generation of scientists.”

With my research, I aim to produce reliable local-level data that will allow us to accurately track progress toward the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

New methods for measuring sustainable development goals

The United Nations has emphasized that progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) must be tracked not only at the national level. The UN also wants to gain insight into the progress of different groups of people, for example, based on income, gender, age, ethnicity, or place of residence. However, the large-scale surveys typically used in Europe are not designed to provide reliable information for such small groups or regions.

With his project, SAESDGs-EU, Angelo Moretti focuses on measuring economic well-being, a central theme of the SDGs and a key factor in people's quality of life. Moretti will develop a new, innovative approach to produce detailed, aggregated measures of economic well-being for small areas.

“With my research, I aim to produce reliable local-level data that will allow us to accurately track progress toward the UN Sustainable Development Goals. With this data, I hope to uncover inequalities hidden in national averages or aggregated indicators. By developing innovative methods and using new data sources, we can improve well-being policies across regions and groups. With my research results, I hope to establish a new standard for computing small area composite indicators, with applications across many disciplines.”

While social networks are often seen as sources of support—they offer information, contacts, and resources—with SHADOW, I want to investigate how they can also create negative externalities.

The shadow of migrants’ social networks: Towards a new theory of how social networks can increase migrants’ economic vulnerability

Sociology assumes that social networks improve the economic position of migrants by providing financial, informational, and instrumental support. However, research from other disciplines shows that social networks can also be harmful: they act as gatekeepers to the labour market or spread misinformation. Verena Seibel's research project, SHADOW, addresses this gap in sociological understanding. SHADOW integrates theories from sociology, social psychology, and political science, introducing a novel multi-level, multi-group theory about why and how social networks can increase migrants’ economic vulnerability.

“While social networks are often seen as sources of support—they offer information, contacts, and resources—with SHADOW, I want to investigate how they can also create negative externalities. Effects that undermine the economic security of migrant populations. By revealing both the negative and positive aspects of social support, SHADOW will help policymakers and practitioners design better interventions that strengthen beneficial connections and counteract harmful dynamics. Ultimately, this will improve the economic position of migrants in Europe.”

My project emphasizes the deep interconnectedness between mental health and societal development.

Care2Act: Strategic Care in Activism: Mental Health Across Scales of Social Change

Current crises, from political polarization to climate change, pose a challenge to everyone's mental health and well-being. One way to address this is to take action together with others. Activism can promote solidarity and empowerment. At the same time, various studies show that activism can be exhausting and increase sensitivity to these problems.

Research into the factors that influence activists' mental health has been conducted for years, but inconclusive. With her research project, Care2Act, Zhelnina aims to integrate psychological and sociological perspectives. In this way, the researcher hopes to approach activism and mental health in a new way. "A way that uses strategic care to emphasize that this is about both personal well-being and caring for the world."

“My project, Care2Act, emphasizes the deep interconnectedness between mental health and societal development. It foregrounds people’s agency: I want to explore how individuals and communities actively manage their mental health and support others in difficult times. This is especially important today, as we face multiple environmental and geopolitical crises. Crises that many people experience as personal, making it difficult to simply stand aside. In addition to generating new theoretical insights, my project aims to support activist communities in their work. In close collaboration with activists and grassroots initiatives, Care2Act will document existing support practices and help share the most effective strategies more widely.”

NEUROSYNC

In the NEUROSYNC project, will investigate the developmental speed of species-specific thalamocortical synchronization.