PhD defence

All acute care staff at Leiden University Medical Center have received their first and sometimes even their second dose of the coronavirus vaccine. But how long will you be protected after vaccination and what does the genetic material of the virus do in the vaccine? Our virologists Ann Vossen and Leo…

Researchers from the Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC) have successfully used stem cell gene therapy to treat a baby with the severe congenital immune disorder SCID. An important milestone: it is the first time stem cell gene therapy of Dutch origin has been administered to a patient, and also…

Hans Ulrich Scherer is Professor of Rheumatology, in particular Translational Rheumatology. He wants to build bridges between research and clinical practice and between departments and organisations at home and abroad. Scherer will give his inaugural lecture next Friday. ‘To make progress, we have to…

Herman Spaink knows of many substances that may help combat tuberculosis. Lab space to study them safely is very limited in Leiden. A brand-new lab at Universitas Gadjah Mada in Indonesia will soon provide a solution. About time, says Spaink, ‘The disease is on the rise and is becoming less sensitive…

While the Netherlands was in lockdown because of the coronavirus, PhD candidate Koen Rijpkema began his research into the same virus. In the lab, he developed molecules that can inhibit an important viral enzyme.

Arts and culture, Q&A

On November 25th, BPS students Bart van Lieshout (right) and Scott Engels (left) received Dr. Saal van Zwanenberg Research Prizes from the KHMW. This annual prize is awarded to students who have written a master's thesis in the pharmaceutical and medical sciences field.

Together with psychologists and immunologists from Utrecht, he proved as one of the first that stress affects the immune system. After obtaining his PhD he worked at the University of Amsterdam.

Walter Gam Nkwi is Assistant Professor at the Institute for History.

Alies Jansen is a PhD candidate in Global Transformations and Governance Challenges at the Institute for History at Leiden University. In 2025, she is a visiting researcher in the Program in Science, Technology, and Society at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Jan Sleutels is a Senior University Lecturer at the Institute for Philosophy.

I obtained my PhD in 1991 at the Leiden University after which I was appointed assistant professor at the Institute of Biology, Leiden University to study secondary plant metabolites in plants and their interactions with herbivores. I did spent a one-year postdoc at the University of Lille 1 (1994)…

During my PhD at KU Leuven (Belgium, 2000–2005), I explored evolutionary and ecological patterns in the wood anatomy of flowering plants. As a postdoctoral researcher (2005–2010), I expanded my focus to functional anatomy, allowing me to link wood anatomical traits to drought tolerance. This integrative…

Jelena Prokic is an Assistant Professor in Computational Linguistics at the Leiden University Centre for Digital Humanities (LUCDH) and Leiden University Centre for Linguistics (LUCL). Since September 2024, Jelena Prokic has also been the Head of the Digital Humanities and AI Lab at the Faculty of H…

Lecture

Researchers at Leiden University have created a unique model that mimics how disease develops after a dengue infection. This 'dengue-on-a-chip' model helps them study the virus more effectively. The timing is crucial, as climate change is causing dengue to spread worldwide.

A number of young researchers recently took part in a knowledge mission to Indonesia, aiming to build a lasting relationship with the country. How did they find the trip, what did they do, and how are they creating new connections with scientists in Indonesia?

Didactics

On 11 March, pharmaceutical company Janssen received approval to launch its corona vaccine on the European market. This made Janssen the fourth company to be given the green light by the European Medicines Agency. As Lead of the Janssen Campus in the Netherlands, Biology alumnus Bart van Zijll Langhout…

A new class of polymers has been used in patients for the first time. The compound is the first new drug solubilising agent in decades. Introduced in 2014 by chemist Matthias Barz from Leiden University, it offers a unique alternative to current options.

In addition to cholesterol and high blood pressure as risk factors for atherosclerosis, we may need to address our own immune system to prevent a heart attack or stroke. Marie Depuydt revealed which cells exactly reside in the atherosclerotic plaque that narrows an artery. The presence of a diverse…

The LUMC has become the first institution in the Netherlands to treat a patient with an autoimmune disease using CAR T-cell therapy.

An impressive 12 researchers from Leiden University have been awarded an 800,000-euro grant by the Dutch Research Council (NWO). This will enable them to develop their own line of research over the next five years.

Five consortia within the Perspectief programme that include Leiden researchers have received funding to start their research projects. These projects focus on (further) developing technological innovations, with societal and economic impact at their core.

Webinar with Q&A

Adam Cohen in Professor of Clinical Pharmacology and was until 2018 CEO of the Foundation Centre for Human Drug Research (www.chdr.nl). CHDR is a leading institute involved in early drug research in collaboration with LUMC and Leiden University. He is a physician at the department of Nephrology of L…

Matthias van Osch is professor in Radiology, experimental cerebrovascular imaging and he is vice-director of the C.J. Gorter Center for high field MRI. in 2016 he was awarded with the innovational research incentives scheme VICI “Breaking through spatial, temporal and physiological boundaries in brain…

Olaf Dekkers is professor internal medicine, chair of the scientific board internal medicine at LUMC and visiting professor at the department clinical epidemiology in Aarhus, Denmark.

• Professor in statistical methods for observational (clinical) epidemiological research • Member of the Dutch Health Council

Gerhard Burger (M.Sc.) is a PhD student at the Division of Drug Discovery & Safety

Rudolf W. Poolman is professor of orthopaedic surgery by special appointment in Healthcare Evaluation in the LUMC and OLVG Amsterdam.

Ferry A. Ossendorp is Professor Molecular Vaccin Biology and head of the Tumor Immunology group in the department Immunology of the Leiden University Medical Centre. He is also member of the Scientific Board of the Dutch Cancer Society KWF.

For her research into complex family problems, an assistant professor in Forensic Family and Youth Care Studies Sabine van der Asdonk has won the Gratama Science Prize 2021, a prize for talented young researchers from the universities of Leiden and Groningen. The jury praised Van der Asdonk’s excellent…