Ruud Toonen has officially delivered his inaugural lecture as Professor of Neuroscience and Knowledge Utilization at VU Amsterdam. His lecture, held on January 31, 2025, was part of the symposium Perspectives on Knowledge Utilization in Life Sciences at VU Amsterdam.
With the title of his inaugural lecture ‘Faltering nerve cells, from defective communication to recovery from brain diseases’ Ruud Toonen has been appointed as Professor of Neuroscience and Knowledge Utilization at VU Amsterdam. In his oration, Ruud Toonen discusses how advanced technologies can be used to treat brain diseases more effectively.
Disrupted communication between nerve cells is at the root of many brain diseases. Complex nanomachines control the release of signaling substances for nerve cell communication. Genetic defects can disrupt these processes, leading to severe brain disorders with major consequences for patients, their families, and society.
With advanced technology, skin cells from patients are converted into nerve cells without the need for a brain biopsy. In the laboratory, these cells grow into networks on which, together with pharmaceutical companies, innovative therapies are being tested. These promising treatments are about to be used in clinical trials. This approach applies to a variety of brain disorders. The goal is to accelerate therapies and improve patient well-being.
About Ruud Toonen
To process information the brain is constantly changing the strength of the individual contacts (synapses) between nerve cells. Strict control of synaptic plasticity is important, as dysregulation is often associated with neurological disorders.
The lab of Ruud Toonen studies the mechanisms that support synaptic plasticity and their dysfunction in disorders such as Alzheimer’s, epilepsy, schizophrenia and autism to provide novel treatment options and therapeutic targets. They study the presynaptic mechanisms of synaptic plasticity and secretory vesicle dynamics and release. Ruud Toonen has several coordinating tasks for the Fundamental Neuroscience track in the second year of the Research Master Neuroscience, the Minor Biomolecular and Neurosciences track Neuroscience, and the Master courses Live Cell Imaging and Developmental Neuroscience. In addition, he is a member of the Master of Neurocience education committee and the ONWAR PhD teaching committee.