Announcement of NWO Vici grants

This week, NWO announced that 39 researchers will receive a Vici grant. With the Vici grant, researchers can develop an innovative research line over the next five years and further expand their research group.

The Vici grant is one of the largest personal scientific grants in the Netherlands and is aimed at advanced researchers. The funding instrument enables researchers to conduct research of their own choosing, thereby giving a boost to innovative scientific research.

Each researcher receives up to 1.5 million euros. The grant is intended to encourage adventurous, talented, and pioneering researchers. Two of them conducted their research within the Medical Delta collaboration.

Pushing the limits of deep tissue imaging toward cellular resolution

Dr. ir. David Maresca (TU Delft) receives a Vici grant for his research using ultrasound. The mystery of life lies deep within the fundamental building blocks of our organs: cells. To reveal the full dance through which cells form a human organ, a technology is needed that can observe biology across multiple scales. Scientists believe that ultrasound waves may provide such a solution. With the discovery of proteins that reflect ultrasound, we now have a tool to make cells visible in ultrasound images. Using the latest microscopy concepts, Maresca’s research group aims to visualize the position of these “echoing” cells with ultrasound waves and observe how they work together in harmony to form our organs.

Maresca was one of the scientific leaders of the scientific program Medical Delta UltraHB: Ultrafast ultrasound for the heart and brain, which was part of Medical Delta’s programming for 2019–2024.

The cellular fire alarm: how cells package bacteria and sound the alarm

Dr. Arjen Jakobi (TU Delft) also receives a Vici grant for his research. Our cells protect themselves against dangerous bacteria by building small defense machines known as inflammasomes. A particular type of inflammasome forms directly on the surface of bacteria and uses properties of their membrane as a signal to trigger an inflammatory response. Exactly how this happens is still unknown, because it takes place within a very short time and in a highly crowded environment. In this project, Jakobi will develop new imaging techniques to follow this process step by step. This knowledge could help fight infections and prevent harmful inflammation.

Jakobi contributed as a consortium member to the scientific program Medical Delta Regenerative Medicine 4D: Generating complex tissues with stem cells and printing technology, which also fell within Medical Delta’s programming for 2019–2024.

Overview

In total, 39 researchers received a Vici grant. The full overview and more information can be found here: 39 researchers recieve Vici grant | NWO