Saturday, April 24, 2010
Netherlands Proteomics Centre researcher Jacques Neefjes (Netherlands Cancer Institute) has been awarded an ERC Advanced Grant of € 2.1 million by the European Research Council.
Mr Neefjes aims to acquire further insight into the way that the immune system is controlled. In pursuing this objective, he focuses on a certain group of molecules, known as the MHC class II, which are essential for the production of antibodies and the stimulation of killer cells. As such, they are involved in processes such as immune reactions to infections and cancer, but also auto-immune diseases that may occur following transplants.
Cancer Genomics Centre researcher René Bernards (Netherlands Cancer Institute – Antoni van Leeuwenhoek Hospital) also received and ERC Advanced Grant this year. He was awarded his ERC grant for functional genetics research. In this field, he studies genes that may cause cells to become resistant to certain cancer drugs. Given that this may vary from one person to another, the ultimate objective is to develop a tailor-made therapy: Establishing in advance whether a certain therapy may work for the patient in question. The grant will also allow him to research the opposite, namely cells which – in contrast – are highly sensitive to a certain drug. René Bernards is to examine whether the inactivation of genes might yield new leads for the treatment of cancer.