Gastroenterology Research Garners Recognition

Bram van os and Andrea Vallés Martí, researchers at the gastroenterology and hepatology laboratory, have been awarded Gastrostart grants from the Dutch Association for Gastroenterology. These grants support innovative,early-stage research in gastroenterology. Vallés Martí also received the abstract prize.

Bram van Os: investigating Inflammatory Bowel Disease

van Os’s Gastrostart grant supports his research into the role of antigen presentation by fibroblasts in inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). The project will use imaging mass cytometry on tissue samples from IBD patients to identify and characterize these fibroblasts, followed by functional in vitro studies.

andrea Vallés Martí: Unraveling Pancreatic Cancer Biology

Vallés Martí’s Gastrostart grant focuses on the biology of patients carrying the P16-Leiden mutation, wich increases their risk of developing pancreatic cancer. The research aims to unravel the complex interplay of genetic abnormalities and signaling pathways in P16-mutated pancreatic cancer by integrating genomics and phosphoproteomics.

Abstract Prize and Digestive Disease Days Presentation

Vallés Martí also won the Abstract Prize, which includes a presentation slot during the President’s Selection at the Digestive Disease Days (DDD) Spring 2025 conference in Veldhoven.Her presentation, titled The Closer, The Better: Intratumoral administration of a thermo sponsive, gemcitabin-filled hydrogel in pre-clinical PDAC models, described promising pre-clinical data about a chemotherapy-filled hydrogel for local pancreatic cancer treatment.

christine Mummery Honored with KHMW langerhuizen oeuvre Prize

Prof. Christine Mummery, professor of Advancement Biology, has been awarded the KHMW Langerhuizen Oeuvre Prize 2025 for her groundbreaking research into stem cells and the development of new medicines for cardiovascular disease.

Mummery pioneered human stem cell research in the Netherlands in the early 2000s.Her work led to the creation of heart cells from stem cells, contributing to the introduction of the embryoWet, which facilitated stem cell research.

later, at Harvard, Mummery discovered a technique to create patient-specific stem cells from skin or blood cells, enabling customized medicines.The KHMW Langerhuizen Oeuvre prize, accompanied by €25,000, will be presented on July 9, 2025, in Haarlem.

Christa Cobbaert receives Gorter and De Graaff Prize

Prof. Christa Cobbaert has been awarded the Gorter and De Graaff Prize at the annual congress of the Dutch Association for Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (NVCK).The prize recognizes her national and international contributions to the development and profiling of clinical chemistry and laboratory medicine.

Cobbaert, an expert in metrology, has been committed to the global standardization of laboratory diagnostics. Her research group develops more effective laboratory tests based on proteomics, contributing to refined diagnoses, personalized treatment, monitoring, and improved diagnostic processes.

Along with her local and national activities,she contributes internationally to the development of laboratory diagnostics within the European Federation for Laboratory Medicine (EFLM) and as chairman of the Scientific Division of the International Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (IFCC). Cobbaert is the first female recipient of this prize, awarded every three years as 1981.

Jaap Hamming Receives Royal Award

Prof. Dr. Jaap Hamming received a royal award upon his retirement on April 4. Hamming has contributed to the medical world, particularly in vascular and endocrine surgery, and has trained many colleagues.

He played a key role in modernizing medical further education,co-founding the national training plan and chairing the Concilium Surgicum. He also contributed to European standards and exams for surgeons through his involvement with the European Union of Medical Specialists.

Hamming is known for his surgical expertise and as a pioneer in quality and safety in healthcare. He introduced international security thinking according to the Safety II principles in Dutch hospitals, now widely used in the LUMC.

In 2019, he received honorary membership from the Dutch Association for Surgery, recognizing his contribution to the surgical field and his commitment to improving professionalism and ethics.

BRUIS Project Launches in the Hague Zuidwest

The BRUIS project, an initiative of the Longfonds and Stichting Mind, started in The Hague Zuidwest on April 14. The project aims to create a healthier living environment for the 22,000 children and young people in the neighborhood.

With movable playgrounds (Bruis Pop-ups), accessible neighborhood activities (BRUIS Samen), and an online community center (Bruis Furthermore), the project focuses on strengthening games and physical and mental health. The approach is flexible and developed with residents. It builds on lessons from Healthy and Happy The Hague and the Health Campus.

The project receives €13 million from the national Postcode Loterij’s dream fund, with €1.5 million for the LUMC’s Health Campus. The LUMC conducts interdisciplinary research, led by Dr. nienke Slagboom, Assistant Professor Syndemics and context-sensitive care, combining anthropological, epidemiological, and administrative research to follow the Bruis program’s impact over ten years.

The research also involves Prof. Jet Bussemaker, professor of policy, science, and social impact, and Prof.Jessica Kiefte,professor of Population Health on the Health Campus,connecting scientific research with enduring health promotion.

Read more about Bruis on the Website of the Longfonds.

Anne Stiggelbout Receives Career Achievement Award

Prof. Anne Stiggelbout, professor of medical decision-making, received the 2025 Career Achievement Award from the Society for Medical Decision Making, recognizing her career in medical decision-making.

The award recognizes leading researchers who have made significant contributions to the field. Stiggelbout joins a list of renowned names,including Daniel Kahneman.

Mariet Feltkamp Appointed Special Professor

Mariet Feltkamp was appointed by the Sanquin Blood Supply Stichting as special professor of Medical Microbiology, focusing on transfusion and transplantation-transferable infections at Leiden University/LUMC, effective March 1, 2025. Feltkamp, a virologist known during the COVID-19 crisis, combines clinical expertise with scientific research.

Her focus is on persistent infections by DNA viruses,such as papillomaviruses (HPV),polyomaviruses (HPYV),and Anellovirusen (TTV). She investigates their occurrence, behavior, and potential problems. Additionally, she studies how serological and molecular markers can help predict and treat complications of a weakened immune system, such as transplant rejection or infections.

Feltkamp has been affiliated with sanquin in Amsterdam since 2023. She is also a board member of the European Society for clinical Virology (ESCV) and a member of the Genetic Modification Committee (Cogem).

Corrie Marijnen Receives Estro life Time Achievement award 2025

Prof. Dr. Corrie Marijnen has made significant contributions to the knowledge and visibility of radiotherapy in rectum carcinoma. She spearheaded practical phase III studies for short-term and long-term neoadjuvant radiotherapy in rectum cancer, leading to higher healing rates and more organ retention opportunities for patients in Europe and worldwide.

As the main trainer for specialization training at the LUMC, a member of the Concilium of the Dutch Association for Radiotherapy (NRVO), active within the Estro school, and a mentor in the Young Estro mentoring Program, Marijnen has significantly impacted the training of doctors.

Marijnen played a crucial role in multidisciplinary cooperation, leading to innovative research and improved care in rectum cancer. She encouraged cooperation and debate between surgeons, radiologists, gastroenterologists, and medical oncologists, leading discussions at national and international congresses. She delivered lectures at Esmo and a plenary contribution during the ASCO congress in 2023. Marijnen is also affiliated with the Antoni van leeuwenhoek.

Artemiy Kovynev Awarded NASO Prize for Obesity Research

PhD student Artemiy Kovynev received the NASO prize for the best article in the field of obesity during the annual meeting of the Netherlands Association for the Study of Obesity (NASO) in utrecht.

Kovynev received the NASO prize,consisting of a certificate and a sum of money,for his article Timing matters: late,but not early,exercise training ameliorates MASLD in part by modulating the gut-liver axis in mice, published in the journal of Pineal Research. Earlier this year, the article was awarded the best article within basic endocrinology by the Dutch Association of Endocrinology (NVE) during the Dutch Endocrine Meeting (DEM) in Eindhoven.

in this study, conducted within the research group of Prof. Patrick Rensen, Kovynev showed with a clinically relevant mouse model that late exercise on a treadmill is more effective than early exercise to reduce delivery vet with obesity. This correlated with a strong change in the composition of intestinal bacteria. With transplantation of shit from late sporting mice to non-sporting mice, he showed that the protective effect of late exercise could partly be attributed to intestinal bacteria.