People with chronic intestinal inflammation, such as Crohn's disease, often have high numbers of the gut bacterium Ruminococcus gnavus (R. gnavus) in their intestines. But why? To answer that question, LUMC researchers have for the first time mapped the complete genetic code (genome) of this bacterium on a large scale. And to accelerate further research on R. gnavus, they are offering all data for free to other researchers.
Before the Dies Festival for Alumni, friends, family, benefactors and thesis supervisors came to the Grotius lecture hall in the Kamerlingh Onnes building to celebrate the achievements of a group of young talents. These had been nominated for the Leiden University Thesis Prizes and the Schild-de Groen Research Prizes.
The Leiden University Fund has awarded two grants for research in the field of legal history. This funding will support projects on tombstone protection and limitation of maritime liability, conducted by PhD candidates Eva Drommel and Tim Lubbers.
Youth crime has plummeted in the Netherlands. Good news, you might think. Yet we need to look critically at existing sanctions, says Professor by Special Appointment André van der Laan in his inaugural lecture. ‘We should evaluate whether our response is just.’
Persecution, conflicts and crises are threatening academic institutions and researchers worldwide. This has major implications for science. Leiden University's Scholars for Scholars programme is helping scholars at risk through crowdfunding.
The Old Observatory in Leiden has reclaimed its most important telescope. Since the 1960s, the Meridian Circle (also known as a transit telescope) had been housed in the Boerhaave Museum. After more than sixty years, the telescope is finally back in its original location. Now, the public can enjoy it during guided tours.
A woman is murdered every eight days in the Netherlands. Marieke Liem, professor of Security and Interventions at Leiden University, is working on the Femicide Monitor, a public database on femicide in the Netherlands. Femicide is when women are killed because of their gender. More knowledge is vital to protecting women in the future.
Bladder cancer is one of the most common forms of cancer in the Netherlands. And it is persistent: in eight out of ten people, the tumour returns after treatment. A remarkable discovery by Dr Gabri van der Pluijm and his team offers new hope. They found that the antipsychotic Penfluridol, which is used to treat schizophrenia, has an inhibitory effect on cancer cells.
Dr Anouk Goemans has been appointed professor by special appointment of Youth Services and Child Protection from an Educational and Legal Perspective as of 1 November 2024. This chair is funded by the 'Stichting Steunfonds Pro Juventute' support fund foundation and serves as a bridge between the Department of Child Law and Health Law and the Institute of Education and Child Studies.
How do you ensure that people who have had a stroke get the right therapy at the right time? This is the question researcher Jorit Meesters wants to answer. The aim? For more patients to be able to use their arms and hands again after a stroke.
