Talent Scheme

Vidi

Vidi is aimed at researchers who have already conducted several years of research following their PhD (within 8 years, by submission deadline). They have demonstrated their ability to generate innovative ideas and to successfully and independently develop these. They may develop their own innovative line of research and may appoint scientific staff on the Vidi grant.
The maximum grant amount is 800,000 euros.
A researcher may apply for a Vidi grant on a maximum of 2 occasions.

(Source: NWO website)

NWO VIDI – 2021 Anna Alemany: Title: Finding a recipe to fabricate cell types on command

Dr. A. Alemany
Department of Anatomy and Embryology (link)

NWO VIDI 2020 - Science
NWO contribution: EUR 800.000
Start date: TBC - End date: TBC
Host institution: LUMC

Short public summary:
All cells in our body share the same genetic information but have different functions and morphologies. The understanding of how the different identities are originated will make us better at generating desired cells from patient-derived stem cells. Here, researchers will investigate the mathematical rules of cell identity establishment.
NWO VIDI – 2021 Meta Roestenberg: Title: Malaria parasites taking the tollway

Prof.Dr. M. Roestenberg
Department of Parasitology (link)

NWO VIDI 2020 - ZonMw
NWO contribution: EUR 800.000
Start date: TBC - End date: TBC
Host institution: LUMC

Short public summary:
An effective malaria vaccine is urgently needed. Malaria parasites that are genetically altered cannot cause disease but can be used to train the immune system. To make genetically altered parasites into a very potent vaccine, researchers aim to improve better recognition of the parasite-vaccine by the immune system.
NWO VIDI – 2021 Ulrich Scherer: Title: Digging beyond the surface – understanding chronicity in rheumatoid arthritis

Dr. H.U. Scherer
Department of Rheumatologie (link)

NWO VIDI 2020 - ZonMw
NWO contribution: EUR 800.000
Start date: TBC - End date: TBC
Host institution: LUMC

Short public summary:
Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic autoimmune disease that will flare when treatment is stopped. Researchers discovered that specific immune cells remain chronically active in patients despite treatment. Here, researchers will use single cell technology to unravel this immunological disease activity and search for ways to silence it, thereby halting chronicity.
NWO VIDI – 2020 Camiel Boon: Title: Developing cutting-edge treatments to combat early hereditary blindness

Prof.Dr. C.J.F. Boon
Department of Ophthalmology (link)

NWO VIDI 2020 - ZonMw
NWO contribution: EUR 800.000
Start date: TBC - End date: TBC
Host institution: LUMC

Short public summary:
X-linked juvenile retinoschisis (XLRS) is a relatively common hereditary eye disease, for which there is no treatment. XLRS causes severe vision loss or even blindness in childhood. I will develop a cure for XLRS in experimental models that mimic the disease, based on patient-specific stem cells and an animal model.
NWO VIDI – 2020 Maaike van Putten: Title: Unraveling the role of dystrophin in the brain

Dr. M. van Putten
Department of Human Genetics (link)

NWO VIDI 2020 - ZonMw
NWO contribution: EUR 800.000
Start date: TBC - End date: TBC
Host institution: LUMC

Short public summary:
Duchenne muscular dystrophy patients suffer from behavioral and learning problems due to lack of dystrophin in the brain. The researcher will study, in cultured human brain cells, how lack of dystrophin results in abnormalities and to which extent deficits can be remedied by a therapy aimed to restore dystrophin synthesis.
NWO VIDI – 2020 Thom Sharp: Title: Finding a needle in the cellular haystack

Dr. T. Sharp
Department of Cell and Chemical Biology (link)

NWO VIDI 2020 - ZonMw
NWO contribution: EUR 800.000
Start date: TBC - End date: TBC
Host institution: LUMC

Short public summary:
Recent advances in microscopy now allow us to see individual proteins within whole cells. However, cells are so densely-packed with molecules that finding the desired protein is like looking for a needle in a haystack. This proposal aims to combine different microscopy techniques to solve this problem, and in doing so answer longstanding questions in immunology, such as “how does our immune system first interact with germs?”.
NWO VIDI – 2020 Annemarthe van der Veen: Title: Inflammation without infection

Dr. A.G. van der Veen
Department of Immunology (link)

NWO VIDI 2020 - ZonMw
NWO contribution: EUR 800.000
Start date: TBC - End date: TBC
Host institution: LUMC

Short public summary:
A sterile inflammatory response occurs in the absence of a pathogenic disease, in response to one’s own molecules. This occurs when our immune system fails to distinguish between our own molecules (self) and foreign molecules (non-self), leading to self-directed autoinflammatory and autoimmune disorders. The researchers will investigate the triggers underlying sterile inflammation.
NWO VIDI – 2018 Bart Everts: Title: Immune cells under control of sugars

Dr. B. Everts
Department of Parasitology (link)

NWO VIDI 2018 - ZonMw
NWO contribution: EUR 800.000
Start date: TBC - End date: TBC
Host institution: LUMC

Short public summary:
Recent observations suggest that in immune cells certain sugars can change protein activity by binding to them, which can subsequently lead to changes in immune cell function. This project will investigate how this exactly works and explore whether that knowledge can be utilized for therapeutic purposes.
NWO VIDI – 2018 Gerbrand van der Heden-van Noort: Title: A struggle for control

Dr. G.J. van der Heden-van Noort
Department of Cell and Chemical Biology (link)

NWO VIDI 2018 - Science (ENW)
NWO contribution: EUR 800.000
Start date: TBC - End date: TBC
Host institution: LUMC

Short public summary:
The localization and activity of cellular proteins is regulated by dynamic posttranslational modifications. It turns out these modifications are also modified themselves, leading to a novel hidden layer of control. The researchers aim to develop chemical tools to study these complex processes in detail.
NWO VIDI – 2018 Monique Jongbloed: Title: When the heart gets nervous

Dr. M.R.M. Jongbloed
Department of Anatomy and Cardiology (link)

NWO VIDI 2018 - ZonMw
NWO contribution: EUR 800.000
Start date: TBC - End date: TBC
Host institution: LUMC

Short public summary:
After myocardial infarction the number of nerves in the heart can increase significantly and cause life-threatening arrhythmias. Cells from the outer layer of the heart, the epicardium, may cause this increase. This research aims to study mechanisms and identify patients at risk providing a basis for future prevention and/or treatment.
NWO VIDI – 2018 Sylvie Noordermeer: Title: Unmasking BRCA1’s Janus face in preventing tumour formation

Dr. S.M. Noordermeer
Department of Human Genetics (link)

NWO VIDI 2018 - Science (ENW)
NWO contribution: EUR 800.000
Start date: TBC - End date: TBC
Host institution: LUMC

Short public summary:
Faulty activities of the BRCA1-protein lead to tumour formation. BRCA1-acitivity depends on binding to many other proteins. However, it remains unclear how this is regulated. The researcher proposes to study why, when and where BRCA1 binds to those proteins and what effect disruption of the interactions has on tumour formation.
NWO VIDI – 2017 Lucia Clemens-Daxinger: Title: The genetics of epigenetics: How misplaced epigenetic marks can lead to disease

Dr. L. Clemens-Daxinger
Department of Human Genetics (link)

NWO VIDI 2017 - ZonMw
NWO contribution: EUR 800.000
Start date: TBC - End date: TBC
Host institution: LUMC

Short public summary:
Chemical tags to the DNA and its associated histone proteins help cells to decide whether a gene is turned on or turned off. Researchers will investigate how mutations in the “readers, writers and erasers” of these tags lead to incorrect gene regulation and disease.
NWO VIDI – 2016 Saskia Lesnik Oberstein: Title: The NOTCH3 disease spectrum: is CADASIL the tip of the iceberg?

Dr. S.A.J. Lesnik Oberstein
Department of Clinical Genetics (link)

NWO VIDI 2016 - ZonMw
NWO contribution: EUR 800.000
Start date: 01-10-2017 - End date: 30-09-2022
Host institution: LUMC

Short public summary:
Recently, Saskia's research group has discovered that gene mutations which cause a hereditary dementia called CADASIL, are quite common in the general population (1:300). They now aim to study whether these mutations may be a cause of a cerebral small vessel disease in 60+ year old individuals in whom CADASIL would normally never be considered. Furthermore, studies in large samples of CADASIL patients will be performed to assess the impact of the noval NOTCH3 genotype-phenotype assosiation they have described, on disease severity.
NWO VIDI – 2016 Marieke Wermer: Title: The striking enigma of stroke in women with migraine

Dr. M.J.H. Wermer
Department of Neurology (link)

NWO VIDI 2016 - ZonMw
NWO contribution: EUR 800.000
Start date: TBC - End date: TBC
Host institution: LUMC

Short public summary:
Women have a higher life-time risk of stroke and a worse outcome compared with men. Migraine is an important risk factor for stroke in women. I will investigate the migrainestroke relationship in clinical datasets and experimental vessel models to better identify women at high risk and to develop new therapies.
NWO VIDI – 2015 Hermien Kan: Title: Similar but not the same - Why are specific muscles less susceptible to damage than others in muscular dystrophies?

Dr. H.E. Kan
Department of Radiology (link)

NWO VIDI 2015 - ZonMw
NWO contribution: EUR 800.000
Start date: 01-10-2016 - End date: 01-10-2021
Host institution: LUMC

Short public summary:
In many types of muscular dystrophy, muscle weakness starts in certain muscles and then spreads to virtually all other muscles. I will examine what makes the muscles that stay strong the longest so different from the muscles that weaken rapidly. Knowledge about this is of paramount importance for the development of new therapies.
NWO VIDI – 2015 Martijn Luijsterburg: Title: Head-on collision: mapping DNA repair during transcription

Dr. M.S. Luijsterburg
Department of Human Genetics (link)

NWO VIDI 2015 – Aard- en Levenswetenschappen
NWO contribution: EUR 800.000
Start date: 01-09-2016 - End date: 31-08-2020
Host institution: LUMC

Short public summary:
Protein molecules that read DNA coding can have head-on collisions with DNA lesions. These collisions cause cell death, ageing and neurodegeneration. Using advanced microscopic methods and protein analyses, the researchers will study how cells handle these collisions, which proteins are involved in this process and how it helps to maintain chromosome stability.
NWO VIDI – 2015 Arjan te Pas: Title: Good start for preterm babies

Dr. A.B. te Pas
Department of Neonatology (link)

NWO VIDI 2015 - ZonMw
NWO contribution: EUR 800.000
Start date: 01-08-2016 - End date: 31-07-2021
Host institution: LUMC

Short public summary:
Preterm babies often need help breathing during birth to survive, but that is when they are most vulnerable. At the Leiden University Medical Center, we will research how best to administer this aid to prevent damage from occurring.
NWO VIDI – 2014 Richard Davis: Title: Measuring heartbeat with light

Dr. R.P. Davis
Department of Anatomy and Embryology (link)

NWO VIDI 2014 - ZonMw
NWO contribution: EUR 800.000
Start date: 01-11-2015 - End date: 30-10-2020
Host institution: LUMC

Short public summary:
In cardiac arrhythmias there is an abnormal electrical activity of the heart. Heart cells from pluripotent stem cells can help to understand the role of genes, but current methods are slow. I will develop a faster approach making use of new imaging techniques to identify patients at risk of cardiac arrhythmias.
NWO VIDI – 2014 Jelle Goeman: Title: Making uncertainties in rankings visible

Dr. J.J. Goeman
Department of Medical Statistics and Bio-informatics (link)

NWO VIDI 2014 – EW
NWO contribution: EUR 800.000
Start date: TBC - End date: TBC
Host institution: LUMC

Short public summary:
Rankings always have a winner and a loser, but if differences involved are small then chance often plays a big role in this. The researchers will design methods to indicate how certain we can be about a given ranking.
NWO VIDI – 2014 Joris Rotmans: Title: Make your own blood vessel

Dr. J.J. Rotmans
Department of Internal Medicine (link)

NWO VIDI 2014 - ZonMw
NWO contribution: EUR 800.000
Start date: 01-09-2015 - End date: 31-08-2020
Host institution: LUMC

Short public summary:
The current artificial blood vessels that are used in vascular operations only function moderately well in the long term. The researchers will develop an innovative method in which the patient becomes the engineer of his own new blood vessel that does not grow in the laboratory but in his own body.
NWO VIDI – 2013 Daniël Pijnappels: Title: Shedding light on cardiac arrhythmias

Dr. D.A. Pijnappels
Department of Cardiology (link)

NWO VIDI 2013 – ZonMw
NWO contribution: EUR 800.000
Start date: 01-10-2014 - End date: 01-10-2019
Host institution: LUMC

Short public summary:
In cardiac arrhythmias the electrical current in the heart is disrupted. This occurs frequently and can be deadly. Algae produce electric current using light-sensitive ion channels. Biologists and physicians will use these ion channels to investigate cardiac arrhythmias and to treat them using light pulses.
NWO VIDI – 2013 Hermelijn Smits: Title: Worms as an anti-asthma agent

Dr. H.H. Smits
Department of Parasitology (link)

NWO VIDI 2013 - ZonMw
NWO contribution: EUR 800.000
Start date: 01-10-2014 - End date: 30-09-2019
Host institution: LUMC

Short public summary:
Asthma is an inflammatory disease of the lungs. Worms suppress inflammatory reactions by activating special B cells that induce tolerance. The researchers will investigate which worm molecules activate these B cells. The worm molecules can then be used for new therapies.
NWO VIDI – 2013 Wiep Klaas Smits: Title: The copying device of a pathogen

Dr. W.K. Smits
Department of Medical Microbiology (link)

NWO VIDI 2013 – ALW
NWO contribution: EUR 800.000
Start date: 01-12-2014 - End date: 30-11-2019
Host institution: LUMC

Short public summary:
The machinery that bacteria use to copy their DNA is an important target for the development of new antibiotics. The researcher will analyse what the machinery is made up of and how this works in the bacterium Clostridium difficile, which is causing diseases more often worldwide.
NWO VIDI – 2013 Louise van der Weerd: Title: Damaged blood vessels in the brain

Dr. L. van der Weerd
Department of Radiology (link)

NWO VIDI 2013 – Aard- en Levenswetenschappen
NWO contribution: EUR 800.000
Start date: 01-12-2014 - End date: 30-11-2019
Host institution: LUMC

Short public summary:
Protein accumulations in the cranial vessels can cause strokes. The researchers will use imaging techniques like MRI to examine how this process proceeds, and which existing drugs might help to reduce protein accumulations or to make the blood vessels stronger.
NWO VIDI – 2012 Luis J. Cruz Ricondo: Title: ‘Smart’ nanoparticles for the diagnosis and treatment of cancer

Dr. L.J. Cruz Ricondo
Department of Radiology (link)

NWO VIDI 2012
NWO contribution: EUR 800.000
Start date: 01-01-2014 - End date: 31-12-2018
Host institution: LUMC

Short public summary:
In this project so-called ‘smart’ nanoparticles will be synthesised that not only make tumours visible but also treat these. The researchers will make use of clinically approved polylactic glycolic acid (PLGA) nanoparticles that are targeted against a characteristic of the tumour and that also contain a contrast medium and substances that activate the immune system against the tumour.
NWO VIDI – 2011 Annette van der Helm – van Mil: Title: Rheumatoid arthritis: the beginning of the end?

Dr. A.H.M. van der Helm – van Mil
Department of Rheumatology (link)

NWO VIDI 2011
NWO contribution: EUR 800.000
Start date: 01-10-2012 - End date: 15-10-2018
Host institution: LUMC

Short public summary:
Joint inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis starts earlier than the external sigs visible in patients. Yet it is this initial phase that determines whether the inflammation will spontaneously disappear or not. This research will study the earliest stage of the disease process to find leads for preventing rheumatism.
NWO VIDI – 2011 Leendert Trouw: Title: New antibodies in the case of rheumatism

Dr. L.A. Trouw
Department of Immunohematology and Blood Transfusion (link)

NWO VIDI 2011
NWO contribution: EUR 800.000
Start date: 01-09-2012 - End date: 31-08-2017
Host institution: LUMC

Short public summary:
Antibodies are proteins that protect our body against infections. Occasionally something goes wrong and antibodies target our own body. The researchers will study a recently discovered antibody to gain a better understanding of how rheumatism develops and progresses.
NWO VIDI – 2010 Magnus Palmblad: Title: Zebrafish model systems for human disease

Dr. N.M. Palmblad
Center for Proteomics and Metabolomics (link)

NWO VIDI 2010
NWO contribution: EUR 800.000
Start date: 01-01-2011 - End date: 30-06-2017
Host institution: LUMC

Short public summary:
The Zebrafish is a powerful model system in the biomedical sciences. The researchers will apply a combination of genomics and advanced proteomics to investigate how zebrafish models can help understand human diseases such as tuberculosis and cancer at the molecular level.
NWO VIDI – 2010 Gisela Terwindt: Title: Headaches

Dr. G.M. Terwindt
Department of Neurology (link)

NWO VIDI 2010
NWO contribution: EUR 800.000
Start date: 01-03-2011 - End date: 31-12-2016
Host institution: LUMC

Short public summary:
A quarter of all migraine patients experience attacks almost every day. The use of headache medication and depression play a role in this. The research focuses on mechanisms, treatments and consequences of chronic migraine.
NWO VIDI – 2010 Fijs van Leeuwen: Title: Imaging agents for surgical guidance

Dr. F.W.B. van Leeuwen
Department of Radiology, Image Guided Surgery (link)

NWO VIDI 2010
NWO contribution: EUR 800.000
Start date: 01-06-2011 - End date: 25-09-2017
Host institution: LUMC

Short public summary:
In the current clinical situation it is difficult to identify tumour tissue during attempts to surgically remove it. The aim of this research is to get this tumour tissue to "light up" so that it can be easily detected.
NWO VIDI Archive: VIDI archive