Bright Minds

  • Piet Gros - Complement studied more closely

    Piet Gros tries to recreate the complement system as accurately as possible. By placing the individual proteins in a crystal grid, he is able to study their shape and function. 

  • Anna Akhmanova - The skeleton of a cell

    Anna Akhmanova studies cell structure in order to understand the basis of human diseases. This creates new insights into possible future treatments.

  • Jaap Wagenaar - Prevent infectious diseases from causing problems

    Animals and humans are constantly plagued by micro-organisms, which can rapidly replicate and spread. They evolve in order to resist the effects of medication, so a constant race is in progress. 

  • Marca Wauben - Cell communication

    Marca Wauben's research looks into how cells communicate with each other. How can cells located in different parts of the body communicate?

  • Marianna Tryfonidou - Intervertebral disc regeneration

    Marianna Tryfonidou researches tissue regeneration, specifically for intervertebral discs. She helps restore them by developing various strategies, such as the application of stem cells and/or factors that encourage cells to regenerate their environment.

  • Baukje Schotanus - Liver stem cells

    As part of her PhD work Baukje Schotanus discovered activation mechanisms to promote the growth and development of stem cells in humans and animals. Her research focuses on the use of liver stem cells in the development of new treatments for liver disease, based on studies of dogs.

  • Enrico Mastrobattista - Precise drug delivery

    Enrico Mastrobattista looks for new ways of enabling treatment to be directed solely at diseased tissue. A special organic coating on medicines can enable them to be delivered to specific parts of the body with great precision, so they go exactly where they鈥檙e needed.

  • Linda van Laake - Cardiac stem cells

    Linda van Laake carries out both clinical duties and scientific research into cardiac stem cells, aimed at finding treatments and ideally cures for heart failure.

  • Frank van Kuppeveld - RNA virus replication

    Frank van Kuppeveld's research focuses on the method of replication of RNA viruses in host cells. Specifically, he studies how these viruses are able to "hijack鈥 certain cellular factors and structures in order to replicate their RNA genome.

  • Geert Kops - Chromosome seperation

    Geert Kops researches the origins of cancer. This involves looking at chromosomes, which carry part of an organism's genetic inheritance (DNA). Kops is trying to shed light on the molecular principles of chromosome separation during cell division, and is focusing on a number of enzymes that are essential to this process. 

  • Martijn van den Heuvel - Mapping the brain

    Martijn van den Heuvel's focus is on mapping the human connectome, the brain equivalent of the human genome. This means that Van den Heuvel carries out research into the brain鈥檚 connections. He鈥檚 creating a map - just like a road map - of how those connections are organised.

  • Albert Heck - Documenting protein networks

    Albert Heck documents protein metabolism within humans and other organisms. Proteins determine a large proportion of human processes and functions. Documenting these protein networks opens up new possibilities for more precise diagnostics and how treatments might tackle a disease as effectively as possible.

  • Xander de Haan - Virus-cell interactions

    Xander de Haan researches viruses and their interaction with cells at the molecular level. At the moment, De Haan's research includes looking at how flu viruses use their keys to unlock a host cell. He鈥檚 also researching how these viruses change those keys to gain access to both animals and humans.

  • Debby Gawlitta - Isolation of bone-marrow stem cells

    Gawlitta researches how bone-marrow stem cells can be isolated so they can be cultivated in laboratories to develop usable cartilage and bone tissue for patients.

  • Alexandre Bonvin - The social life of proteins

    Alexandre Bonvin researches how biomolecules interact with each other. Biomolecules such as proteins, nucleic acids and lipids are essential to all living organisms.

  • Jos van Putten - Programme director

    Jos van Putten is programme director of the Life Sciences strategic research theme.

  • Jos Malda - Biofabrication and biomaterials design

    Jos Malda's group focuses on biofabrication and biomaterials design, in particular for the regeneration of (osteo) chondral defects. We are developing novel biofabriaction strategies, as well and 鈥渂ioinks鈥 for 3D printing.