Lyduine Collij, Inge Mulder, Giuseppe Pontillo, and Tim van Balkom have been awarded a Veni grant by the Dutch Research Council (NWO). The Veni grant, worth up to €320,000, is awarded annually to highly promising early-career researchers. In the 2024 round, 200 scientists across the Netherlands received the grant. It provides them with the opportunity to further develop their own research ideas over a period of three year.

Congratulations to the Amsterdam Neuroscience researchers on receiving this prestigious grant and contributing to a better understanding of brain disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease, stroke, Multiple Sclerosis, and Parkinson’s disease.

Lyduine Collij, Amsterdam UMC, Brain Imaging

Advancing amyloid-PET: Novel biomarkers for optimized Alzheimer’s diagnosis and risk assessment

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a complex condition with other health problems often occurring alongside it, most commonly vascular damage to the brain. The way AD and vascular damage interact seems to differ from patient to patient and is not well understood. This study will use cutting-edge brain scans and advanced machine learning techniques to tease out distinct disease pathways and work toward more personalized treatments.

Inge Mulder, Amsterdam UMC, Neurovascular Disorders

Vascular dysfunction in acute ischemic stroke: Identifying and targeting new therapeutic pathways.

Despite available treatment strategies for acute ischemic stroke, a significant
proportion of patients do not achieve full recovery. The goal is to enhance
post-stroke outcomes by deepening our fundamental understanding of brain-wide vascular dysfunction and impaired reperfusion after stroke. Specifically, Mulder will concentrate on the challenges posed by constriction and plugging of small brain vessels downstream from the initial obstruction. Through the integration of challenging rodent stroke models with cutting-edge imaging techniques, the aim is to pinpoint novel treatment targets and explore possibilities for more effective stroke management.

Giuseppe Pontillo, Amsterdam UMC, Brain Imaging

Neuroimaging foundation models for advancing clinical predictions in Multiple Sclerosis

In Multiple Sclerosis (MS), the heterogeneity of clinical symptoms and progression is still poorly understood and difficult to predict. Leveraging thousands of brain images and a novel artificial intelligence paradigm, this project aims to develop a tool to accurately predict how MS manifests and progresses in individual patients. This could enhance our understanding of the disease and lead to more personalized treatments.

Tim van Balkom, Amsterdam UMC, Neurodegeneration

Personalized neuromodulation to treat cognitive impairment in Parkinson's disease

Many people with Parkinson’s disease experience cognitive impairments. However, treatment is often insufficiently effective. In this project, Van Balkom will use magnetic stimulation to improve cognitive impairment. This treatment will be personalized by advanced techniques using brain scans. This research aims to develop an effective treatment tailored to the individuals’ cognitive problems.

NWO Talent Programme

The NWO Talent Programme gives researchers the freedom to pursue their own research based on creativity and passion. They receive up to EUR 320,000. The program encourages innovation and curiosity. Curiosity-driven research contributes to and prepares us for tomorrow's society. That is why NWO focuses on diversity in terms of researchers, domains, and backgrounds. Together with the Vidi and Vici grants, Veni is part of the Talent Programme. NWO recently started publishing figures on gender and disciplines of allocated research in an new online dashboard.

Check out more Veni recipients

Source: NWO