“The continuous learning makes our work more than just science — it becomes a shared journey. And perhaps the most beautiful part is the feeling that we are only at the beginning. That there is still so much left to discover. The coming years will determine how well we can bring these promising iPSC technologies into reality,” says Heine near the end of her inaugural lecture.
About Vivi Heine
Professor Heine, a neurobiologist at heart, has always been fascinated by the development of the human brain. Throughout her career, she has increasingly focused on early development and dedicated herself to working with stem cells.
Brain white matter integrity is crucial for motor coordination and cognitive functioning, and its disruption is strongly implicated in neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric disorders, including autism spectrum disorders. We need a better understanding of how cellular interactions in white matter regions contribute to brain network dysfunctions. Heine her labadvanced induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) tools to develophumaniPSC-basedmodel system for several neurological disorders to address basic and translational research questions in collaboration with on- and off-site partners. Their goal is to identify and describe glial defects in neurodevelopmental disorders and to perform proof-of-concept studies for glial-targeted therapy strategies using advanced stem cell technologies.
The inaugural lecture ‘Stem cells: Therapists of the future’ of Vivi Heine took place today, June 13, 2025 from 15:45 at the Aula of the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. Heine ended her lecture with a quote by Howard Thurman: “Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”
Read the interview on the iPSC Core Facility with Vivi Heine.
Photo in header by Marieke de Lorijn.