Organoid project granted in NWO Open Competition Domain Science

The project ‘Organoids in time’ is one out of twenty new consortia that can start thanks to NWO funding: the Open Competition Domain Science. The grant consists of a total of 2.5 million euros.

In this project AMOLF group leader Jeroen van Zon (also project leader) works with collaborators Hans Clevers (Hubrecht), Jacco van Rheenen (NKI), Hugo Snippert (UMCU), Sander Tans (AMOLF) and Pieter Rein ten Wolde (AMOLF).

Organoids in time
Our intestines do more than we think: in addition to absorbing nutrients, they also make important hormones and suppress infections. However, these crucial functions have remained obscure because the cells responsible are rare and turn-over rapidly. In this project, a breakthrough is made by combining mini-intestines with immune cells and microorganisms, which makes it possible to directly follow their dynamics by microscopy. With this approach, we will be able to elucidate how these cells work together and make it possible to test drugs outside of the patient. This is important for phenomena as diverse as obesity, immune diseases, bacterial infections, allergies, and depression.

More information about Open Competition Domain Science