Advanced ERC grants are aimed at well-established top researchers, who have a recent high-level research track-record and profile which identifies them as leaders in their respective field. “With this generous award from the EU, we hopefully can provide a solution for this cruel disease, which causes disfiguration, mostly in otherwise healthy girls, during a crucial stage in their lives”, says Ito. Scoliosis (or adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS), as its most common form is known) is a deformity of the spine that affects 2 to 3 per cent of the population. The disease mainly affects girls, who undergo earlier and more rapid growth than boys. It substantially reduces their quality of life and creates a life-long burden of disease. Although AIS has been known since the time of the ancient Greeks and despite centuries of dedicated research, no distinct cause has been identified.

Organ transplant acceptance

Together with his colleagues at RadboudUMC, Willem Mulder of the Department of Biomedical Engineering will explore novel nanotechnology to prevent organ rejection in patients who have received a transplanted organ. Organ rejection is caused by our immune system, which fights any foreign element that is introduced into our body.

While there are effective drugs on the market to suppress this reaction, chronic immunosuppression comes at a tremendous price. The drugs cause serious adverse effects, including cancer, and long-term rejection remains a serious problem. Rejection is mediated by innate immune system activation, which together with the adaptive immune system is responsible for our body’s defense against infections and other diseases.