Vici grants for research into antibodies, galaxies and Indigenous communities
Three Leiden researchers have been awarded a Vici grant by the Dutch Research Council. The funding of up to 1.5 million euros supports ‘talented, adventurous and pioneering researchers’. A total of 39 projects at Dutch institutions will receive a grant.
The Vici grants have been awarded to the following Leiden researchers:
1) Developing man-made antibodies
Matthias Barz, Faculty of Science
Can we create something that functions like an antibody, but is entirely synthetic – a stable agent without serious side effects? Antibodies are vital in medicine, yet they are highly complex and therefore expensive to produce. The SyntiBody project aims to develop macromolecules that look and act like real antibodies. These synthetic alternatives promise improved therapeutic performance and could serve as a versatile platform technology for the next generation of biotherapeutics, with the potential to replace conventional antibody-based medicines and enable faster, more cost-effective drug development.
2) Zooming in on the first galaxy clusters
Reinout van Weeren, Faculty of Science
Galaxy clusters are the largest gravitationally bound structures in our Universe. In addition to several thousand galaxies, these clusters contain hot gas, magnetic fields and dark matter. The formation of clusters, however, remains largely a mystery due to the lack of detailed observations of young clusters in the early universe. In this project, the researchers will use the LOFAR radio telescope and the Euclid satellite to unravel the formation of galaxy clusters. By employing new computational techniques, the project will produce high-resolution LOFAR images that will allow these forming clusters to be studied in detail for the first time.
3) Making History in Indigenous South America (1500-2025)
Mariana Campos Françozo, Faculty of Archaeology
What if different ways of knowing the past could coexist? Making History will explore new ways of writing Indigenous histories by bringing together scientific and Indigenous knowledge on equal terms. The project will focus on two Indigenous communities: the Tupinambá in Brazil and the Mapuche in Chile. Together with Indigenous partners, the researchers will study objects preserved in museums to understand both the impact of colonial encounters and the resilience of these communities.