Participating research institutes

Our group studies the essential role that dynamic networking plays in Biology and the role that failures in networking play in medicine.  This is done computationally (inclusive of BIG and SMALL data)  and in the experimental laboratory (single cell mRNA counting, fluorescent measurement cell dynamics, metabolomics, microbial ecology).  Life is like a disco: lots of dissimilar molecules dancing sometimes together, some times out of phase, together giving rise to atmosphere and patterns.  It is these patterns rather than individuals that determine health.

In the department of Estuarine and Delta Systems we study how ecological, physical and chemical processes affect estuarine  ecosystems under pressure of for example global change. Specifically, our aim is to understand how the interplay between organisms, hydrodynamics, sediment dynamics and biochemistry shapes the estuarine and delta environment, and how it affects the functioning and resilience of the diverse natural communities living there. Central to our department is a multidisciplinary approach that combines state-of-art biophysical and biochemical measurements, remote sensing, and manipulative experiments with mathematical and numerical modelling to create in-depth understanding of the processes that control estuarine and delta systems. Our research slogan is “Protecting and using our estuaries responsibly, starts with understanding”.

How warm was the sea millions of years ago? How strong were floodings during the last century? We study the remains of micro-organisms in the water and the seafloor to develop ways to reconstruct past climate conditions. We work in the field, collecting 20 meter long sediment core aboard research ships, and in the laboratory where we study the beautiful, diverse fossil molecules left behind by microbes. For example, we study Emiliana huxleyi, a small algae that likes to cover itself up with calcareous plates called coccolithes. Emiliana huxleyi is an amazing algae that can adapt its molecules to the temperature of the water. We can then find the fossil remains of these molecules in sediments and reconstruct past sea water temperature. Our field is a mixture of biology, geology and chemistry.

Research line: Genetic background of cancer. We study rare endocrine tumors (e.g. thyroid) mainly in children and young adults. The focus is on tumor predisposition (heritability) in order to identify people at high risk and tumor genetics in order to identify personalized druggable targets. 

Frese and his team investigate the possibilities to interconnect photosynthetic materials to (semi-) conducting substrates for biosensors and solar energy harvesting. The entire biochemical and biophysical toolbox is applied, as well as state of the art materials like plasmonic nanostructures, mesoporous materials and redoxgels. Goal of the research is to understand the interconnection of biological nanomaterials with inorganic materials, utilising nature's machinery for novel technology. The methods are fundamental physical  investigations such as confocal fluorescence, photobioelectrochemistry and simple biochemical growth and purification procedures. Technology derived exemplify a biological approach to materials, not forcing stability but enabling constant recycling of resources and renewable devices.

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia, however, effective treatment or prevention of the disease is not available to date. The aim of our work is to identify molecular processes underlying the disease, ultimately to help early diagnosis and therapy. Alzheimer is caused by misfolding and “clumping” of specific proteins in the brain. This leads to loss of the connections (“synapses”) between brain cells and ultimately to death of brain cells. As the misfolded proteins increasingly clump together the memory and other brain functions of the patients disappear. The cells have mechanisms that normally prevent protein clumping, but these apparently are inadequate in Alzheimer. We study how the natural capacity of brain cells to deal with clumping proteins is disturbed in Alzheimer and how we can employ this for the benefit of the patient.

This group develops new biofabrication technologies to generate libraries of 3D scaffolds able to control cell fate. Current tissue engineering and regenerative medicine products suffer from high costs and laborious techniques that complicate scaling-up production. First generation products consisted of cells in suspension, encapsulated in hydrogels, or seeded into 3D porous matrices. These products demonstrated the potential of regenerative medicine therapies by reducing pain and restoring tissue continuity. Yet, the regenerated tissue is not always as functional as the original one. This leads to degeneration few years after surgery and consequently to the need of another surgery. Often followed by long hospital stays and rehabilitation time, and increasing healthcare costs as well. Our overarching goal is to create new solutions for regenerative medicine and understand the fundamental phenomena at the base of the observed regenerative processes.

In a world with increasing amounts of workload and performance pressure, the ability to exercise has become more important than ever. We aim to prevent injuries or re-injuries with the high quality diagnostic imaging tools of tomorrow, so that athletes can keep moving today. For elite athletes the consequences if movement is impaired can be catastrophic. A doctor is able to perform a physical examination, but to determine the extent of the injury, imaging has become vital. Nonetheless, details of each individual muscle fiber has been lacking. At the Academical Medical Centre Amsterdam we focus on new detailed imaging techniques in patients and elite athletes to look at tendons, cartilage, bones and muscles. Lately, a new technique called Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) showed to be particularly promising. DTI is able to visualize the extent of the injury up to individual muscle fibers. We aim to color code each individual fiber and project it in 3D to reduce the chance of re-injury and improve diagnostic capabilities.

How plants survive flooding stress? Climate change has increased the occurrence of extreme weather events, including flooding. Severe rainfall leading to floods is becoming increasingly commonplace worldwide. These disrupt not only human lives but also destroy crops and negatively influence plant biodiversity. When submerged, plants just like humans, cannot breathe. The restricted access to oxygen and CO2 means they cannot respire or photosynthesize and this reduces plant performance, crop yields and ultimately kills the plant. In nature, there is a tremendous variation in plant flooding stress resilience. Tolerant species use a suite of adaptive traits to either escape or tolerate flooding. For example, some plants escape by enhancing shoot growth to emerge from floodwaters. These emergent porous shoots then act as a snorkel reaerating the rest of the plant. Others go into a quiescent stage to conserve energy till the floods recede. Some plant species form gas films on hydrophobic leaf surfaces to ‘breathe’ through micro-air pockets. We strive to better understand the molecular and physiological circuitry underlying these tolerance mechanisms. This knowledge will be extremely beneficial to generate climate-ready crops in the coming decades.

The epidemiology of many chronic metabolic diseases, such as obesity, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease is still on the rise. It cannot be ignored that our current lifestyle is a major contributor: we eat too much and too energy-dense foods and most people’ s physical activity levels are too low. On top of that, our current western society is characterized by a 24h culture, with food available 24h per day, continuous light exposure and comfortable temperatures. As a result, our body is most of the time in an inactive, non-challenged state making it prone to the development of disease. Our research investigates whole-body, tissue and cellular physiology. We have shown that exercise and acute cold exposure are very strong ways to change metabolism of muscle and improve metabolic health in humans, and that disturbing our 24h day-night rhythm negatively affects our health. At Maastricht University, we do innovative experimental interventions in human volunteers and use state of the art invasive and non-invasive tools to unravel what changes take place on a molecular level and how it influences our risk for diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Please also see: www.dmrg.nl

The Conservation Ecology Group of the University of Groningen (RUG) studies how organisms and ecosystems adapt to a changing world. One of our main study areas is the Dutch Wadden Sea, where we contribute to conservation through applied research in collaboration with nature managers. In the middle of the Wadden Sea, a mysterious and uninhabited island is surrounded by vast intertidal mudflats. An isolated bird paradise, off-limits to the general public. On this island, the RUG leads a research project that analyses how the island develops after a large-scale restoration measure in the summer of 2016. On Griend and its surrounding mudflats we study the importance of nature restoration for breeding birds, mussel beds and seagrasses, but also how the island is reassembled by forces of nature like storms moving around sediment. Using a suite of innovative methods that include aerial (drone) pictures, elevation models, 360º nest cameras and biodegradable structures we collaborate with Natuurmonumenten to understand how the island functions, to improve conservation of this hidden gem in the Wadden Sea.

Within the BITE-group of TU Delft, we develop innovative devices for minimally invasive surgery, drawing inspiration from extraordinary biological mechanisms from nature. We collaborate with a number of academic hospitals, biology groups, veterinary hospitals, and companies to achieve our ultimate goal; making the world a little bit healthier. Based on the anatomy of squid tentacles and ovipositors of parasitic wasps, we developed a range of steerable surgical instruments that can be manoeuvred like a snake through human anatomy to reach the operative area with minimal damage to healthy tissues. Among our instruments are world’s thinnest steerable instruments and self-propelled needles, miniature 3D-printed steerable grippers, and multi-manoeuvrable snake-like instruments developed for skull base surgery via the nose, all having ingenious bio-inspired constructions fusing the biological example with man-made mechanical technology. See also the website of the BITE-group.