NWO has awarded Veni grants to 174 promising researchers across all science domains. This funding will allow laureates to use this funding to further develop their own research ideas in the next three years. ACS researchers Nick van Es and Stijn Meijnikman are two of the laureates.
Nick van Es
Nick van Es has received a Veni grant for the project: Cardiovascular
diseases caused by immunotherapy. Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) have revolutioned the treatment of cancer, but large studies have shown that they increase risk of
atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease about a two- to threefold. In this
project, Van Es will (1) perform a proof-of-concept randomized controlled trial
to evaluate the effect of low-dose colchicine on coronary artery inflammation
in patients with cancer receiving ICI, (2) elucidate the mechanism of
ICI-induced plaque macrophage activation with mass cytometry and an vessel-on-chip
model, and (3) develop a clinical prediction model for ICI-associated
cardiovascular disease leveraging the Danish national databases. The ultimate
goal of this project to mitigate the burden of ICI-associated cardiovascular
disease, which is particulary important given the widespread and increasing use
of these drugs.
Stijn Meijnikman
Stijn Meijnikman has received a Veni grant for the project: Endogenous alcohol in liver disease. Everyone produces a certain amount of alcohol in their intestines, but patients with metabolic dysfunction associated steatotic liver disease generate abnormally high levels of alcohol. This can cause damage to the intestines, as well as the liver and other parts of the body. The precise mechanism by which endogenously produced alcohol causes harm is not yet fully understood. In this project, we aim to investigate how endogenous alcohol contributes to the formation of senescent cells in the intestine, which can trigger inflammatory responses in the body. We plan to test interventions that reduce alcohol production in the gut and clear senescent cells, with studies conducted in both mice and humans.
Nick van Es
Stijn Meijnikman
NWO Veni grant
Veni, together with Vidi and Vici, is part of the NWO Talent Program (formerly: the
Innovations Impulse). Veni is aimed at excellent researchers who have recently
gained their doctorates. Within the Talent Programme researchers are free to
submit their own subject for funding. In this way NWO encourages
curiosity-driven and innovative research. NWO selects researchers based on the
quality of the researcher, the innovative nature of the research, the expected
scientific impact of the research proposal and opportunities for knowledge
utilization. An overview of all laureates of this year can be found on the NWO website.