Tracking mucus-eating bacteria, mapping the complexity of planetary nebulae and a signalling pathway in cancer. These three Leiden projects have been awarded Open Competition Science-M funding by the Dutch Research Council.
The grants are for innovative, high-quality, fundamental research or studies involving matters of scientific urgency. The funding is a maximum of EUR 800,000.
The three Leiden projects are:
Tracking mucus munching bacteria
Zach Armstrong, assistant professor at Leiden Institute of Chemistry
Mucus provides an essential barrier between the gut microbiome and cells that line the intestines. This barrier is depleted in inflammatory bowel disease and colorectal cancer. One hurdle to understanding mucus-microbiome interactions is the lack of chemical tools to monitor mucus degradation.
In this project, the researchers will generate a new class of chemical tools targeting enzymes fundamental to mucin degradation - carbohydrate sulfatases. These tools will reveal fundamental insight into the mechanism and action of carbohydrate sulfatases and in the future will enable detection of sulfatase activity in biopsies and animal models of colitis, furthering our understanding of mucus degradation in gut diseases.
Unveiling the hidden complexity of Planetary Nebulae in 3D
Ana Monreal Ibero (LEI), assistant professor at Leiden Observatory
Planetary nebulae are the stunning remnants of dying stars like our Sun, crucial in recycling elements that fuel the chemical evolution of galaxies. With an appearance resembling cosmic jellyfish, they show complex and diverse structures that traditional methods miss. This project seeks to unveil and map this hidden complexity using cutting-edge spectroscopy.
The researchers will reveal the full physical and chemical makeup of planetary nebulae, offering an unprecedented view that will impact our understanding of stellar evolution, interstellar medium characterisation, and Galactic chemical evolution. The data collected here will constitute ideal ancillary information to complement observations with the JWST, and forthcoming BlueMUSE.
Tools to manipulate how TGF-β talks to different cells
Peter ten Dijke, Professor of Molecular Cell Biology at the LUMC
TGF-β is a multifunctional secreted cytokine that plays a crucial role in maintaining tissue homeostasis and cancer by acting on multiple cell types. In this project, the researchers will generate cell-type-restricted inhibitors of TGF-β that will allow them to dissect its role in complex biological processes precisely.
Moreover, with their potential to be developed into novel drugs, these inhibitors offer a solution to the current limitations of TGF-β-targeting agents. The researchers predict that these novel inhibitors will bypass the on-target adverse side effects, providing a more effective and safer alternative for cancer and other diseases.
