Three Veni grants have been awarded to:

Pascal Miesen, Radboudumc Nijmegen (Westenbrink prize winner 2017/2018), RNA helicases - novel factors for virus transmission by mosquitoes Aedes aegypti mosquitoes transmit important human viruses such as dengue and Zika virus. The efficiency of transmission depends on how well these viruses replicate in the mosquito. The researchers investigate the role of a gene from the family of so-called RNA helicases in determining virus replication and transmission by mosquitoes.

Christian Büll, Hubrecht Institute, Sweet Gut O’ Mine The inside of the human gut is covered with a thick layer of sugar molecules. This layer is hard to access, making research into its biological role difficult. Mini-guts with a controllable sugar layer will be developed, to study the functions of sugars in normal gut development, colitis and cancer. 

Matti Pronker, Utrecht University, How Rabies virus enters our nervous system and how to combat this, The disease Rabies, caused by the Rabies virus, causes tens of thousands of deaths per year, mostly children in developing countries. In this project, the three-dimensional structure of the viral protein responsible for host cell attachment will be determined. Knowledge of the structure will allow development of improved therapy.

Two Vidi grants have been awarded to

ArnabRay Chaudhuri, Erasmus Medical Centre, Stabilization of DNA replication machinery in maintenance of genome integrity, DNA replication stress is a precursor of genome instability, that is linked to tumor development. In this project, the researcher wants to study the factors that cause instability of the DNA replication process and how our cells cope with the genetic instability.

Wilma van Esse, Wageningen University & Research, Flowering time genes branching out, The timing of flowering determines not only when a flower is formed but also the seed number per spike, seed weight and number of branches (tillers). The researchers will study how these traits are linked at the molecular level in order to improve yield through knowledge-based breeding strategies.