Max Theo Ben Clabbers

My research aims to understand and address health issues related to tiny crystalline structures in cells. These crystallites cause various diseases and form a major concern for public health. Despite their broad impact, we often do not fully understand how they form or affect cellular tissue. Traditional methods typically fall short because the crystals are too small, and samples are studied outside of their natural environment. Our project focuses on improving our understanding of these crystalline pathologies by studying them directly within cells. To achieve this, my research group develops novel methods for in situ electron crystallography that use cryogenic electron microscopy imaging and diffraction to look at these crystals in their natural environment. Specifically, we apply these methods to study crystalline problems associated with type 2 diabetes. Our research will not only benefit diabetes treatment but also pave the way for studying a much broader range of pathologies.

Freja Herborg

Unraveling the complex interactions among neural circuits in the brain is pivotal to advance our understanding of psychiatric disorders and symptoms like social impairments that are common across a spectrum of mental health conditions. Oxytocin is an evolutionarily conserved hormone and signaling molecule that has emerged as a possible mediator of social deficits and is known to interact intricately with other ancient circuits such as the dopaminergic and serotonergic systems, in ways that remain poorly understood. This project will bring together novel genetic disease models of ADHD and depression with state-of-the-art imaging techniques to delineate how disease-relevant changes in dopaminergic and serotonergic signaling affect oxytocin function and influence social behaviors and drug responses. With these efforts, we seek to uncover new insights into the neural processes of social deficits, with potential implications for developing circuit-based strategies to treat social impairments.

Verena Untiet

Epilepsy affects over 6 million people in Europe and current treatments are mainly focused on relieving symptoms. In neurons from brain slices of patients with epilepsy, the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA becomes excitatory. In healthy condition, this inhibition is mainly mediated via chloride (Cl-) influx into neurons, which hyperpolarizes the cell and suppresses excitation. The direction of Cl- movement depends on the Cl- gradient across the membrane. Astrocytes are cells in the brain that help maintain ion balance, and I have recently shown that astrocytic Cl- levels can affect how long neurons remain active. My hypothesis is that when Cl- levels are disturbed in astrocytes, neuronal signaling is disrupted. Regulation of Cl- levels in astrocytes might represent a new therapeutic target for treatment of epilepsy. The main goal of the research work is to identify astrocytic Cl- homeostatic pathways as targets for therapeutical strategies to treat epileptic seizures.

Elena Zavala

DNA analyses have transformed the study of our evolutionary past as well as forensic investigations. These application areas, while seemingly disparate, have many similarities. Both use low-quality, degraded DNA to reconstruct past events and are often limited to where skeletal remains were recovered. I wish to develop new methods to use sediment DNA to comprehensively explore human presence at recent and distant timescales. Using sediment DNA from Bronze Age England, I will examine the genetic ancestry and phenotypic traits of people as well as their animal husbandry and domestication practices. I will also investigate how sediment DNA can aid forensic casework by assessing its reliability for the identification of missing individuals. The goals are to study the demographic history of Bronze Age England, aid in forensics investigations, and establish new benchmarks to advance research in both fields.

Pawel Michal Lycus

Until the mid-20th century, farmers struggled to get enough nitrogen for their crops, which limited plant growth. Then, along came the Haber-Bosch process, a groundbreaking invention that allowed us to make ammonia from the air, solving the nitrogen shortage and boosting food production worldwide. However, this innovation also led to a problem: farmers started using too much nitrogen, causing issues in the environment.

In response, this project, NoN2O, aims to develop biotechnology to use nitrogen more efficiently in agriculture and to reduce harmful nitrous oxide (N2O) greenhouse gas emissions. We plan to do this by utilizing waste materials to increase the activity of DNRA bacteria in soils. We will specifically focus on bacteria that in addition to DNRA can consume N2O, so when they are vectored into soils, they will enhance nitrogen retention and reduce the emissions. In simple terms, it is about making farming more sustainable and environmentally friendly.

Christian Schnepel

Amides form an essential chemical connection formed by condensation of a carboxylic acid and an amine. These acylation reactions assemble molecular scaffolds to form complex molecules, a vital step for production of numerous chemicals. Traditional chemical approaches used to create this important bond are often inefficient and contribute significantly to the environmental footprint of chemical industries. Thus, development of sustainable syntheses for amides, peptides, and beyond is paramount to meet the growing demand for pharmaceuticals against diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular diseases. Central to our project are thioesters of coenzyme A, a vitamin B₅ derivative that functions as nature’s mediator for activating and carrying carboxylic acids in metabolism. Inspired by this nature-based approach, Bio-ATEAM will unlock green acylation techniques through developing new-to-nature biocatalysts and multi-enzyme cascades, enabling synthesis of amides, peptides, and related acyl compounds. Ultimately, our enzyme-driven strategy will be instrumental to sustainably manufacture next-generation fine chemicals and drugs.

Jazmin Ramos Madrigal

Plant domestication allowed the rise of complex societies. Large efforts have been made to understand the evolutionary processes behind plant domestication. However, a key aspect of plant domestication remains mainly unexplored: the role of the root microbiome. In this project, we will use legumes to study the coevolution of the plant-root microbiome interaction throughout the domestication process. As legumes recruit beneficial soil bacteria into specialised root structures, they provide and ideal contained system to study the plants and their microbiomes jointly through time. Using modern and ancient genomes, we will study wild and domesticated plants and their root microbes, characterise their domestication history, identify selection signatures correlating with changes in root microbial diversity, identify co-dispersion patterns, and develop an integrative model for plant domestication. By reconstructing the evolutionary history of plants’ beneficial associations with microbes, we will contribute to drawing a blueprint for replicating solutions evolution came up with, ultimately bringing us closer to robust sustainable agriculture.

Henriette Lyng Røder

A green transition to increased consumption of plant-based food products in our diet is pivotal for sustaining an increasing world population and mitigating climate change. Yet, many plant products are lost because of growth of unwanted microorganisms, requiring out-of-the-box thinking to establish new solutions. Because it is impossible to keep our plant products free of microorganisms, the goal of BIOBARRIER is to find out which microorganisms can be added to our fresh plant products to increase their shelf life instead of trying to remove all microorganisms – both the ones that are harmful and the ones that may safely help us. We will achieve this by creating specifically designed bacterial communities with beneficial properties that can be placed on fruits and vegetables to repel harmful microbes. Together with new beneficial bacterial uses such as probiotics, we will contribute to shifting consumers’ perspective on bacteria towards it being a positive addition to everyday products.

Anniek Lubberding

Type 2 diabetes occurs when secretion of insulin does not meet the body’s demands. Insulin secretion is dependent on ion channels, which transport ions across the cell membrane. People with mutations in an ion channel called K_v11.1 have increased insulin secretion, but I recently identified that insulin secretion is only increased if the mutation lies in a specific part of the channel: the so-called PAS domain. This domain does not transport ions, but is responsible for contact with other proteins, potentially proteins involved in the secretion of insulin. The aim of this project is to investigate the role of the PAS domain in insulin secretion and blood sugar control by developing a new, state-of-the-art mouse model, using several human databases and a small clinical trial, and testing novel pharmacology. As such, this project will highlight unconventional roles of ion channels previously unrecognized and will provide the first steps to a new treatment strategy in diabetes.

Grethe Ueland

Benign adrenal tumors are common and affecting approximately 5% of the adult population. 30-50% of the cases shows overproduction of the stress hormone cortisol, a condition named mild autonomous cortisol secretion (MACS). MACS is associated with hypertension, type 2 diabetes, obesity and unfavorable cholesterol profile, conditions that gives increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease. Diagnosing MACS is troublesome, and easy screening test are lacking. The impact on the body of living with untreated MACS is also unknown.  Furthermore, what is the optimal treatment is debated, conservative approach to the comorbidities or surgery of the adrenal gland. Our aim is to close these knowledge gaps through establishment of evidence-based international guidelines for diagnostics and treatment of MACS, and to get a deeper insight into the inflammatory impact of this disease.