These are the three UMCG researchers who received a Veni grant this year
Patients with acute heart failure retain fluid, however there is great variety in where this fluid accumulates in the body. Currently, all patients are treated exactly the same, regardless of where the fluid is retained. This research will specifically study acute heart failure patients with an extensive amount of fluid in the tissue, to study the role of storage of salt in the tissue and whether treatment with additional salt might lead to better treatment of this excess fluid.
Antibodies are protective defense proteins of our body that shield us from viruses and bacteria. But antibodies can become harmful when directed against ourselves. Patients suffering from Sjögren’s disease have self-directed antibodies that limit the ability to produce saliva and tears and raise the patients’ risk of blood cancer. This research creates a mug shot of plasma cells that make these harmful antibodies. Knowing the profile of plasma cells helps to find a patient-specific treatment that uniquely affects harmful plasma cells while leaving protective plasma cells untouched.
Cardiometabolic disease (CMD) and chronic kidney disease (CKD) often co-occur, thus increasing treatment difficulty and mortality. Gut microbes are associated with both cardiometabolic and kidney health, yet the causal bacterial genes and pathways underlying CMD and CKD remain unclear. This project delves into the DNA code of gut bacteria to identify bacterial genes regulating both cardiometabolic and kidney health and depict new molecular pathways connecting CMD and CKD.
NWO has awarded Veni funding to 188 promising researchers across the full breadth of science. The Veni is a personalised science grant for researchers who have recently obtained their PhDs. More about the Veni grants can be found here.
