Rubicon grants for our RIMLS researchers

10 April 2018

The Rubicon programme gives young, highly promising researchers the opportunity to gain international research experience.

Three young RIMLS researchers, Siroon Bekkering, Kalijn Bol and Christian Büll will receive a Rubicon Grant from the Dutch Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO).

Young and obese: does inflammation cause the earlier onset of cardiovascular disease?

Siroon Bekkering, theme Vascular damage will be traveling to Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne, Australia (Department of Internal Medicine).
Obesity in young children is an important risk factor for cardiovascular disease later in life. In this study, Siroon Bekkering is going to examine whether obesity during childhood leads to the reprogramming of the innate immune system and the development of cardiovascular disease.

Cleaning up cancer with our own immune system

Kalijn Bol, theme Cancer development and immune defense will be traveling to Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Center for Cancer Immune Therapy, Herlev Hospital.
Immunotherapy activates the immune system to kill cancer cells. This breakthrough in the treatment is not effective for all forms of cancer, however, including uveal melanoma. The research will identify and eliminate the blocking mechanisms.

Cracking the sugar code

Christian Büll, theme Cancer development and immune defense will be traveling to University of Copenhagen, Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Copenhagen Center for Glycomics.
Every cell in our body surrounds itself with a layer of sugar molecules. This layer fulfils a multitude of largely unknown biological functions. In this research, a new technology is going to be developed that will make it possible to identify the functions of this layer of sugar molecules.

 Siroon Bekkering

 Kalijn Bol

 Christiaan Büll

International research experience is for many scientists an important step in their career. Thanks to the Rubicon grant, these young researchers can do their research at top institutes across the world for a maximum of 24 months. The size of the grant depends on the destination chosen and the length of stay. A total of 93 researchers submitted a proposal for Rubicon in this round, of which 17 were honored.