Even though all cells in your body inherit the same DNA from your parents, there is a great diversity of cells in your body: from skin cells to brain cells. 'Even if we zoom in on cells of exactly the same type and within the same person, it turns out that these seemingly similar cells look and behave slightly differently on the inside. It is largely unclear where this non-genetic variation between apparently similar cells comes from and how it can affect a person's health,' van der Wijst says. 'I want to investigate the origin and possible function of this variation.'
With the Vidi grant, van der Wijst will investigate non-genetic variation in seemingly similar immune cells. She is looking at how that variation affects how well these immune cells can build memory after exposure to pathogens. 'I expect that variation between immune cells can have a positive impact on their function,' van der Wijst says. 'When there is a bit more molecular variation between these immune cells, they are also more likely to be able to respond to a pathogen that the body has not seen before, such as the corona virus, for example. With new experimental techniques and international collaborations, we are now able for the first time to study this molecular variation on a large scale and link it directly to the functioning of these cells. By now mapping this molecular variation on a large scale and linking it to immune system functioning, and ultimately diseases, I hope to shed new light on how molecular variation within a person can lead to diseases.'
Vidi funding, together with Veni and Vici grants, is part of the NWO Talent Programme. Within the Talent Programme, researchers are free to submit their own topic for funding. In this way, NWO encourages curiosity-driven and innovative research. NWO selects researchers based on the quality of the researcher, the innovative nature of the research, the expected scientific impact of the research proposal and opportunities for knowledge exploitation.
