ParkinsonFonds grant for Neurospector team
Stichting ParkinsonFonds awarded €355.710,00 to Prof. Ruud Toonen (FGA & Neurospector) to advance research on genetic forms of Parkinson’s disease.
News
NWO-XS grants for Sanne Beerens and Janina Kupke
Two postdoctoral researchers from the MCN lab have each been awarded an NWO-XS grant to investigate how synapses on engram neurons (the specific brain cells that store a memory) change to stabilize or modify memories.
Michel van den Oever receives NWO Open Competition M2 grant
The M2 project is a collaboration with the lab of Dr. Krugers at the UvA. Together, they will investigate how stress hormone levels affect the synaptic and molecular properties of engram neurons, and thereby the specificity of a memory.
New study on secretion principles published in JCB
A new study by Fiona Murphy & team (FGA/MCN) on how different components of the secretion machinery work together to bind/recruit key lipids, is now published in Journal of Cell Biology.
Prof. Dr. Matthijs Verhage Honored with the 2025 Innovative Research Award
We are thrilled to announce that Prof. Dr. Matthijs Verhage, head of the department of Functional Genomics and a founder of the European STXBP1 Consortium (ESCO), has been selected as the recipient of the 2025 Innovative Research Award by the STXBP1 Foundation.
Peptidergic control of the brain’s stress system modulates anxiety
In a new study published in Science Advances, Dr. Danai Riga and colleagues explored how the brain’s built-in peptidergic systems help regulate its response to stress
Queen Máxima opens ADORE Research building
On Wednesday, May 14, Queen Máxima of the Netherlands officially opened the ADORE Research and Diagnostics Centre in Amsterdam. This cutting-edge facility, an initiative of Amsterdam UMC, brings together Neuroscientists and Oncology researchers, making it the largest onco-neuro campus worldwide.
First patient completes new trial to test brain-cholesterol lowering Alzheimer’s medication
The existing HIV medication Efavirenz may potentially also be effective for Alzheimer’s patients by lowering cholesterol in the brain. A clinical trial to test this led by Dr. Rik van der Kant, team leader at the Dementia Discovery, started in fall 2024 and now the first patient has completed treatment. Participants are still being recruited.
Why is there a link between height and schizophrenia?
It has been known since 1936 that people diagnosed with schizophrenia are on average 1 centimeter shorter than people without that diagnosis. However, there have been few explanations of this relationship. Neuroscientist Cato Romero and his colleagues therefore investigated the link between schizophrenia and height in DNA datasets.
Altered spines on memory-encoding neurons in the hippocampus
A study performed by PhD student Panthea Nemat of the Molecular Engrams team led by Dr. Priyanka Rao-Ruiz was recently published in a special issue on “Deciphering the memory engram” in Neurobiology of Learning and Memory in which they describe “Structural synaptic signatures of contextual memory retrieval-reactivated hippocampal engram cells”.
New AI Tool Helps Identify Disease-Related Genes, Boosting Drug Discovery
Scientists have developed a powerful new tool to pinpoint genes most likely causally linked to diseases, potentially accelerating drug development and advancing our understanding of disease biology.
SUPERGLUE consortium, lead by Mark Verheijen and Rogier Min, receives NWO-XL funding
In SUPERGLUE, PI’s at the VU (Mark Verheijen, Priyanka Rao-Ruiz, Natalia Goriounova, Harold MacGillavry) and AUMC (Rogier Min, Erik Bakker, Elga de Vries) will collaborate to investigate how subcellular compartments of the astrocyte control cognitive processing .
Alzheimer Nederland Major Award to Jan van Weering
Alzheimer Nederland has awarded Jan van Weering a Major Award to investigate how neurotrophic signaling and mitochondrial function can be modulated to restore neuronal network function in neurons with tau pathology.
Symposium “Perspectives on Knowledge Utilization in Life Sciences”
Matthijs Verhage and Iwan de Esch are organizing a symposium on January 31st, preceding the inauguration lecture of Dr. Ruud Toonen, professor of Neuroscience and Knowledge Utilization. The symposium is free and open to the public, targeting students, life science professionals, and individuals working in the medtech/biotech sector.
Vidi grant awarded to Amélie Freal
Amélie Freal (FGA) was awarded a Vidi grant from NWO for her project “Neurons in balance” to investigate the mechanisms controlling axon initial segment plasticity and how this regulates network activity homeostasis.
Amsterdam UMC fellowship for Dr. Danai Riga
Danai Riga will join the FGA as a new team leader, after being awarded the Amsterdam UMC fellowship. The fellowship (750K) will support her in establishing her independent research line and expand her research group at the CNCR.
Kim Wolzak awarded with Alzheimer Nederland thesis prize 2024
During a regular Monday morning lab meeting, Kim was surprised by a team from Alzheimer Nederland with the Alzheimer Nederland thesis prize 2024. She was applauded for the impressive manner in which she was capable to explain her high quality fundamental scientific work performed in the Scheper lab to a lay audience.
ERC Starting grant for Max Koppers
Max Koppers (FGA) was awarded an ERC Starting Grant by the European Union for his “RNA.ORG” project to investigate the molecular mechanisms that coordinate mRNA capture and translation in neurons.
Million Dollar Bike ride for research of STXBP1-related disorders
On Saturday June 8, 2024, our teams successfully biked the European Million Dollar Bike Ride, a fundraising event to raise money for research into STXBP1-related disorders! Together they raised more than 12.000 euros.
Tauopathy Challenge Workshop Grant for Rik van der Kant
Dr. van der Kant, group leader of the Dementia Discovery Group at the CNCR, has received a $500.000 award to study how lipids contribute to primary Tauopathies such as progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD).
Dr. Wiep Scheper (FGA) appointed as professor of Proteostatic Stress and Neurodegeneration
Dr. Scheper is internationally known for her studies on the role of proteostatic stress mechanisms in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases. She now receives further recognition for her work with a professorship.
A map of chromatin accessibility in the developing human brain
A collaboration between Marijn Schipper and Danielle Posthuma from CNCR-CTG and Camiel Mannens and Sten Linnarsson from the Karolinska Institute Sweden has led to the publication of the first map of chromatin accessibility and paired gene expression in the entire developing early embryonic human brain. The study is published May 1, 2024 in Nature.
New study on balancing synaptic strength in Nature Communications
This multidisciplinary work led by Marieke Meijer (Amsterdam UMC - FGA) describes how tomosyns limit synaptic strength at rest to equalize synaptic transmission during activity.
New disease concept for STXBP1 disorder and disease prediction tool
A collaboration between CNCR-FGA and University of Heidelberg shows that protein instability is the generalizable, primary cause. A new prediction tool outperforms all existing predictors. The paper is out now in Biological Psychiatry.
New disease mechanism discovered for SYT1-associated disorder
Neurotransmitter release is less synchronized in SYT1-associated disorder, according to a new study from the Cornelisse lab.
CNCR co-hosts 1st European STXBP1 Summit in Milan
The STXBP1 team (FGA) joined 150 other researchers, healthcare professionals, industry representatives, and patient families and -advocates from all over the world for the first European meeting fully dedicated to STXBP1
CNCR joins TARGET ALS consortium to restore Stathmin2 expression
Irune Guerra San Juan and Matthijs Verhage (FGA) became partners in an international consortium that designs and tests oligonucleotides to suppress poison exon insertion and restore full length Stathmin 2 expression in sporadic ALS
ZonMW funds multidisciplinary CNCR collaboration
A core problem in several dementias is the inability to form new memories and gradual loss of old memories. Funded by a ZonMW open competition grant, the teams of Wiep Scheper (Amsterdam UMC Human Genetics/FGA), Priyanka Rao-Ruiz (VU MCN) and Michel van den Oever (VU MCN) will collaborate to obtain mechanistic insight into memory formation and persistence and how this is disturbed in dementia.
CNCR researcher receives grant from the EU joint program
Van der Kant and the VU Medical Center receive funding for unravelling the associative link between exercise and lipid metabolism in prevention against Alzheimer.
CNCR researchers receive funding for Brain Initiative
The American National Institute of Health will fund new brain research of three CNCR researchers at VU Amsterdam through the so-called Brain Initiative programme. Brain research is desperately needed to better understand and treat brain diseases.
Three CNCR researchers each awarded a VIDI grant
Rik van der Kant, Natalia Goriounova and Priyanka Rao-Ruiz, researchers at the Center for Neurogenomics & Cognitive Research at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, have been awarded by the Dutch Research Council (NWO) with a Vidi grant worth 800,000 euros.
UCB and CNCR join forces targeting genetic epilepsy syndromes
The global biopharmaceutical company UCB and an FGA team led by Ruud Toonen signed a 700k€ contract for joint research to develop new treatment strategies for genetic epilepsy syndromes.
Joint CNCR/Swiss high-throughput STXBP1 screen receives funding
The STXBP1 team of FGA obtained funding from the 2019 Million Dollar Bike Ride event, organized by the Orphan Disease Center in the US, for a high throughput screen to identify new therapeutic interventions for STXBP1 patients.
CNCR organizes Royal Academy colloquium
CNCR organized, together with new UMCA professor Hilgo Bruining, a colloquium at the Royal Academy bringing together world leaders to discuss neurodevelopmental disorders and science-based intervention for individual patients.
CNCR PI’s receive major grant for translational neurogenetics
The Ministry of Education, Culture, and Science awards 19.6 million€ Gravitation grant to BRAINSCAPES consortium led by CNCR
CNCR founding father prof. dr. Wijnand Geraerts dies at age 77
Wijnand Geraerts, biologist by training, designed CNCR together with Menno Witter and Dorret Boomsma, promoting groundbreaking, multidisciplinary research and bringing scientists with different backgrounds together within CNCR.
Dutch National Research Agenda (NWA) grant for CNCR teams
Together with clinicians and researchers from Utrecht, Nijmegen and Twente, CNCR researchers Verhage, Cornelisse, Meijer (FGA) and Linkenkaer-Hansen (INF) received a €1,8M grant to improve personalized medicine for children with autism.
CNCR and VUmc together host the first STXBP1-E Patient Clinic
On Oct. 13, the 1st STXBP1 Patient Clinic Day will take place at VUmc in Amsterdam. The day is part of our studies on STXBP1-Encephalopathy (STXBP1-E) in a collaboration between FGA-CNCR, Clinical Genetics and VU spin-off company NBT Analytics.
eLife paper for CNCR ‘Shisa’ team
The CNCR ‘Shisa’ team presents the characterization of a yet unknown glutamate receptor auxiliary subunit important for learning and memory. Their findings are currently available in the open access journal eLife.
CNCR PhD students win presentation and blitz prices
At the annual meeting of the graduate school Neurosciences Amsterdam and Rotterdam (ONWAR) CNCR members Marieke van Ziel, Vincent Huson, Marinka Brouwer, Claudia Persoon and Mariana Raimundo Pinto de Matos won the Blitz presentation and oral presentation prices.
CNCR PhD students win poster prices
Four CNCR PhD students of the MCN department win a poster price at the annual Amsterdam Neuroscience meeting 2017.
Genes identified that are connected to wellbeing and depression
For the first time in history, researchers have isolated the parts of the human genome that could explain the differences in how humans experience happiness.
Polderman & Posthuma publish largest twin study ever
The study analyzed the results from 2,748 studies, containing nearly 18,000 human traits, and is based on information from more than 14.5 million twin pairs. The study is published on May 18, in the leading journal Nature Genetics.
Study identifies biological mechanisms for psychiatric disorders
Psychiatric disorders – such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and depression – share genetic risk factors related to histone methylation (involved in DNA regulation) and immune function. This finding is a result of a large international study, including researchers from the VU/VUmc, in which they analyzed genetic data from over 60,000 individuals.
PhD Emmeke Aarts scores publication in Nature Neuroscience
Aarts et al. propose using multilevel analysis as a solution to dependency between observations often seen in biological neuroscience data.
CNCR PhD students win NWO Brain & Cognition award
NWO Brain & Cognition awarded Anke Hammerschlag and Sabine Mous from the Complex Trait Genetics group for best integrated project on “An Integrative Theory of the Genetically Mediated Neural Substrates of ADHD‚. Watch their creative, musical presentation on youtube.
Neuromarketing with impact
Victor Lamme delivered an entertaining and thought provoking keynote lecture on "The science and adventure of neuromarketing".
CNCR scientists receive millions for top-research
Danielle Posthuma (FALW & VUmc) and Huib Mansvelder (FALW) both receive a prestigious Vici grant (NWO). They are two out of eight VU and VUmc top-scientists to receive 1,5 million euro each for conducting research for the following five years.
Research on the role of CYFIP1 gene leads to Neuron paper
Joint effort of CNCR researchers Ka Wan Li, Danielle Posthuma, Guus Smit and researchers from Leuven University (Belgium) shed new light on the role of the CYFIP1 gene. This gene has been linked to various neurological disorders, including intellectual disability, autism and schizophrenia.
CNCR scientists participate in Human Brain Project
Early October, the Human Brain Project – an EU Flagship initiative in which over 80 partners will work together - was launched. The initiative will realize a new "ICT-accelerated" vision for brain research and its applications. The VU-CNCR is one of the partners. Sabine Spijker, Guus Smit and Huib Mansvelder participate in this research.
