De Volkskrant publishes a column on Hans Clevers and his colleagues’ at the Hubrecht Institute research into the human lacrimal gland using organoids and single-cell sequencing, and how the researchers were able to make the lab-made tear glands ‘cry’. 

Lude Franke (UMCG) receives 1.5 million euros in Vici funding by the NWO! Franke will further develop his research into gene networks and investigate whether germline and somatic mutations which cause diseases - including cancer - share common principles. 

Miao-Ping Chien (Erasmus MC) and her team designed and built an entirely new type of microscope that is enables following the behavior of thousands of individual cells simultaneously. With this, Chien hopes to boost research into rare cancer cells. 

Wouter de Laat (Hubrecht Institute) was invited to the BNR news radio show to talk about ‘’the beast’’: the unique COVID-19 test robot co-invented by himself and Marvin Tanenbaum (Hubrecht Institute). The robot is capable of processing 20.000 qPCR-test per 24 hours.  

Thijn Brummelkamp (NKI) is interviewed by NWO about his Vici research creating a roadmap for how the human cell works. With his earlier developed technique for switching genes on and off on a large scale, he works now on a roadmap that might facilitate the development of new drugs against genetic disorders and cancer.

The LSH update from Health Holland publishes an interview with Oncode former general director Ton Rijnders. Ton explains how collaboration is the fundamental idea behind Oncode is collaboration, as that the competition model does not work well for finding new breakthroughs in cancer research. He also talks about the three means to achieve the goal of having five more years of healthy life by 2040 – which is part of the central mission of the Mission-Driven Top Sectors and Innovation Policy. 

SUN columnist and stage 4 bowel cancer patient Deborah James thanked Rene Bernards (NKI)on the British television show Lorraine, for her research that helped save her life. Rene Bernards led the drugs trial which Deborah has been a part of.

Ton Schumacher (NKI) wins the renowned Jeantet-Collen Prize for Translational Medicine! This award comes in recognition of his work developing technologies to study the role of the immune system in cancer progression, and will contribute to his further efforts towardsthe improvement of cancer diagnosis and treatment. He shares the prize with French scientist Jerome Galon.  

KU Leuven interviews Hans Clevers (Hubrecht Insitute) in depth about how he, together with his team, developed a way to grow organoids – lab-made miniature versions of our organs .  

Puck Knipscheer and Jop Kind (both Hubrecht Institute) individually receive a prestigious European Research Council (ERC) Consolidator Grant! They are each given two million euros to strengthen their research groups and continue their innovative research for the next 5 years. 

Those who are sick want to know why. Ruben van Boxtel (PMC) addresses the big question of how cancer develops and explains how to use DNA to examine the origin of a tumor during a live lecture on Youtube.