11 October 2019

Geert Kops receives ERC Synergy Grant

Elize Brolsma
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Elize Brolsma

Elize is part of Oncode’s communication team. She has over 10 years of experience in the com-munication industry, both for commercial and non-profit organisations. After obtaining her bache-lor and master degree in communication at Utrecht University, Elize worked as a communication professional at a research institute, PR agency, law firm and internet company. She has a strong focus on external communications and Public Relations. At Oncode - together with her colleagues - Elize produces the monthly newsletters for Oncode Investigators & Researchers and the Oncode digital magazine. She publishes content for the Oncode website and is responsible for all social media channels. She enjoys discussing science with researchers and support them in their outreach.

Oncode's Scientific Director Geert Kops (Hubrecht Institute) has received a European Research Council (ERC) Synergy Grant to investigate the causes and effects of chromosomal aberrations in cancer, together with Iva Tolic (Ruder Boskovic Institute), Angelika Amon (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) and Nenad Pavin (University of Zagreb). Together they receive 10 million euros for their interdisciplinary effort that combines cell biology, bio(physics) and genetics.

Chromosomal aberrations are prevalent during early embryonic development and in cancer, but it is unclear how these aberrations originate and how these aberrations exactly affect early embryonic and cancer development. The results of this research will help to elucidate these questions. In addition, the researchers will develop new methods to perform quantitative cell biology in human tissues. At the moment cellular processes are mainly studied in mono-layer cell lines due to the challenging nature of human 3D tissue. Studying cellular processes in human tissue will greatly expand our knowledge on how cells function in their native environment.

Geert Kops says: "This European Synergy grant provides a unique opportunity for us to work with teams from different disciplines including physics and genetics to discover the origins of chromosome aberrations in cancer. Our contribution will focus on studying molecular processes in human cancer organoids."

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