Four talented scientists from Amsterdam UMC have been awarded a Vidi grant of up to €850,000 by the Dutch Research Council (NWO). This funding enables them to develop innovative research lines and establish their own research groups. We are extremely proud to share that one of the four recipients is affiliated with the Amsterdam Institute for Immunology and Infectious Diseases (AI&I): dr. Lotte de Winde.
Lotte de Winde – How lymph node tissue architecture drives cancer spread and immune regulation
In this project, dr. de Winde and her team will investigate how changes in the tissue architecture of lymph nodes, known as the extracellular matrix, influence the movement of cancer cells and immune cells. By combining an advanced model of lymph node cancer with mechanistic research, they aim to unravel the fundamental processes that govern lymph node cancer dissemination and immune system regulation. The findings will deepen scientific understanding of tissue biology and cancer, and may pave the way for new therapies for lymph node cancer and other tumors that metastasize to lymph nodes.
NWO Talent Program
The Vidi grant, awarded annually by NWO, supports talented researchers who have already completed successful postdoctoral research with a focus on innovation. The Vidi is part of NWO's Talent Program, alongside the Veni and Vici grants.
This is not the first time dr. de Winde has secured major funding: in 2023, she received a Young Investigator Grant from KWF Kankerbestrijding (the Dutch Cancer Society), worth €611,399.