Recently, several prestigious prizes and grants have been awarded to our AII members. Learn more about these accomplished individuals and their projects in the article below!

Van Heumen Oeuvre Prize – Prof. Sue Gibbs

To promote and encourage animal-free research, the Willy van Heumen Fund awards the 'Willy van Heumen Oeuvre Prize' every ten years to an individual in the Netherlands that has made outstanding contributions throughout their career in animal-free research. The prize, accompanied by a minimum amount of 15,000 euros, is to be spent at the discretion of the recipient for the welfare of animals.

On December 12th, Prof. Gibbs was awarded the Van Heumen Oeuvre Prize for her relentless dedication to animal-free research. Gibbs is a professor of Skin and Mucosal Regenerative Medicine and Head of the Skin Lab. Prof. Gibbs serves as principal investigator at the Department of Molecular Cell Biology & Immunology at Amsterdam UMC and at the Department of Oral Cell Biology at ACTA.

“No, I was not anticipating the prize on the 12th of December as so much time had elapsed between the nomination submission. Everyone around me kept it as a guarded secret which in itself is an achievement! I have a plan for the prize money which will involve helping early career researchers to implement animal free methods into their projects – information will follow later in the year….”
Prof. Sue Gibbs
Professor of Skin and Mucosa Regenerative Medicine at Amsterdam UMC

ZonMW Open Competition – Prof. Marjolein van Egmond and Dr. Lisa van Baarsen

Prof. van Egmond and Dr. van Baarsen have secured a ZonMW Open Competition grant of €749.027 euros for their research project titled "Lymph node neutrophils in inflammatory arthritis: the missing link between innate and adaptive autoimmunity?" Prof. van Egmond and Dr. van Baarsen explain:

Neutrophils are white blood cells that play a crucial role in the body's defensive immune responses at sites of infection or injury. However, Dr. van Baarsen recently found abundant neutrophil accumulation in lymph nodes of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in the absence of infection. RA is characterized by the development of autoantibodies, which are produced in the lymph nodes. Prof. van Egmond discovered that IgA-autoantibody complexes of RA patients trigger neutrophil migration and activation, which may account for the abnormal neutrophil numbers in RA lymph nodes. Moreover, neutrophils skew immune responses and cause tissue damage. In this novel collaborative project we built upon each other’s expertise to link our findings together in order to determine how IgA-mediated activation of neutrophils contributes to the development of inflammatory arthritis. This knowledge is essential for developing novel therapies and interventions to halt autoimmune conditions like RA.

Dr. van Baarsen and Prof. van Egmond are seeking a PhD student for this research project where neutrophils meet auto-antibodies. So, do you want to be part of a joint PhD challenge using state-of-the-art cellular and molecular techniques in a translational research project? Take a look at the job description through this link and apply!

ZonMW Open Competition – Dr. Joke den Haan and Prof. Theo Gejitenbeek

Dr. den Haan and Prof. Geijtenbeek have been awarded a ZonMW Open Competition grant of 750,000 euros for their research project titled "Collaboration between Sugar Lovers: Siglec and C-type Lectin Interactions Controlling Immunity to Pathogens." Dr. den Haan and Prof Geijtenbeek explain:

Pathogens are recognized by a variety of receptors on antigen-presenting cells, including C-type lectin receptors (CLRs) and sialic acid-binding immunoglobulin-like lectin (Siglec) receptors. These receptors play crucial roles in pathogen infection, transmission, and immune response induction. Our research will investigate the interaction between these two receptor types and how it influences immunity. Additionally, we will develop innovative tools to block pathogen binding to CLRs and Siglec receptors.

Go to this link for more information.