Utrecht, 02-02-2010
Vici grants for two UMC Utrecht researchers
The Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO) has awarded Vici grants to two innovative researchers from the University Medical Center (UMC) Utrecht. The researchers will each receive a grant of up to 1.5 million euro and is one of the largest personal grants in the Netherlands. The grant will enable the researchers to build up their own research group over a period of five years.
The Vici grant is intended for the senior researcher who has successfully demonstrated the ability to develop his or her own innovative line of research and the ability to act as a mentor for young researchers. Vici laureates may build up their own research group, often in anticipation of receiving a tenured professorship.
The two Vici grants have been awarded to:
Methods for diagnostic test evaluations
Professor K.G.M. Carl Moons, d.o.b. 08-03-1967, Nijmegen, UMC Utrecht, Department of Clinical Epidemiology
Effective treatment starts with the right diagnosis. Through technological advancement the number of diagnostic tests is increasing on an almost daily basis. There is a strict methodological framework in place for the evaluation of drugs. However, as yet there is no such framework for the evaluation of new diagnostic tests. The researchers’ intention is to define and monitor these methodological guidelines.
Cellular circuits
Professor F.C.P. Frank Holstege, d.o.b. 29-06-1966, Sittard, UMC Utrecht, Department of Physiological Chemistry
This project will bring into focus which regulatory proteins regulate the behavior of genes. Thousands of regulatory proteins will be individually inhibited in order to measure their effect on all genes. Ultimately, this unravelling of regulatory circuits will contribute to a more advanced design of drugs.