Grants for research on immune cells, vegan cheese and PFAS detection
Researchers at the Faculty of Science work at the frontiers of knowledge every day, tackling today’s major societal challenges. Their work is recognised through grants, prizes and other awards. We highlight some of these achievements below.
Funding for research on atypical B cells and T-cell therapy
Amanda Foks, together with Menno van Zelm and Marvin van Luijn (Erasmus MC), has received a ZonMw grant through the Open Competition. With this funding, the team will study the role of atypical B cells in cardiovascular disease and multiple sclerosis. These immune cells can have both harmful and protective effects. The researchers will combine laboratory experiments with patient data to gain a clearer picture of disease processes and explore potential treatment options for the future.
Joost Beltman has also received a grant from the ZonMw Open Competition, in collaboration with Monika Wolkers (Amsterdam UMC). In this project, the researchers will investigate how human T cells regulate their signalling responses when fighting cancer, including conditions that resemble the stressful environment inside tumours. By combining advanced experiments with computer simulations, the team aims to improve our understanding of T‑cell behaviour and help refine future T‑cell‑based cancer therapies.
Three new professors at the Faculty of Science
The Faculty of Science has welcomed three new professors as of 1 April. Daniel Rozen has been appointed Professor of Microbial Evolution at the Institute of Biology Leiden (IBL). Frank Takes becomes Professor of Network Science at LIACS, where he focuses on algorithms for controlling complex systems. Matthijs van Leeuwen has also joined LIACS as Professor of Explainable Machine Learning and plans to place greater emphasis on transparent and interpretable AI in both research and teaching.
Read more about the three new professors here.
Grant for sustainable production of vegan cheese
Researchers in Leiden, working together with academic and industrial partners, have received €1.3 million in funding for the FungCows project. The project focuses on producing vegan cheese in a more sustainable way using precision fermentation.
Led by Arthur Ram and Han de Winde, the consortium is developing a new fungus that can produce dairy proteins (caseins) using grass as a carbon source. This approach makes the process cheaper and far more sustainable than conventional dairy production. With contributions from partners such as Bioscienz, Avans University of Applied Sciences, HAN Biocentre and several scale‑up facilities, the team is working towards bringing this innovation to market.
Read more about the fungus that could make vegan cheese cheaper and more sustainable.
Open Competition XS grants for five researchers
Five researchers from the Faculty of Science have received NWO Open Competition ENW‑XS grants. These grants support high‑risk, innovative research that opens up new scientific directions, even when the outcome is still uncertain.
Missing sulphur in space
Thanja Lamberts uses quantum chemistry to study how sulphur atoms behave on icy dust particles in space, and why this element is so difficult to detect in regions where stars are forming.
Rapid detection of PFAS and other pollutants
David Poole is developing low‑cost, fluorescent sensors to quickly detect persistent environmental pollutants such as PFAS in water, soil and food.
When do cells escape from tissue?
Emanuel Fortes Teixeira uses computer models to understand how cell density and cell‑to‑cell attachment influence cell movement, with applications in cancer research.
Soft materials for mini‑tissues
Lu Su is working on a simple material that supports cells as they form organoids and can later be removed without causing damage.
Simpler CAR T‑cell therapy
Heyang Zhang is developing a safer and more scalable way to reprogramme T cells for CAR T-cell therapy, with the aim of making these treatments more widely accessible.