Hubrecht Institute

Find the full article (open access) at www.nature.com/articles/s41...

New publication in @natbiotech.nature.com! Wim de Lau and colleagues from @hansclevers.bsky.social group describe an integrin-activating antibody that enhances organoid growth also in, medical-grade, collagen. An important step toward more affordable and translational organoid culture systems.

The mystery deepens: how did all complex life on Earth originate? In this intriguing VPRO Tegenlicht episode (in Dutch), PhD student Max Raas from the @kopslab.bsky.social talks about his collaboration with Berend Snel. They study the evolution of cell division machinery in single-celled organisms.

Can blood vessel organoids help us generate transplantable blood stem cells in the lab? Fabien Boudia can now explore this question thanks to a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Postdoctoral Fellowship. Read more about his project via www.hubrecht.eu/marie-curie-...

Researchers at Hubrecht Institute and Radboud University developed an animal-free gel in which organoids can grow and expand long-term. The PIC-invasin gel allows for more consistent, ethical and affordable organoid research. @hansclevers.bsky.social @pnas.org 
🔗 https://f.mtr.cool/cekttmhhtn

What is this? It is cohesin, a molecular machine inside our cells, looping the DNA. Today, researchers at the Hubrecht Institute and NKI published a new molecular tool that allows them to study the effects of this process in living cells: www.nature.com/articles/s41....
🎥 Cees Dekker Lab, TU Delft.

PhD defense Fjodor Yousef Yengej Fjodor Yousef Yengej successfully defended his thesis ‘Organoids: Translation to clinical nephrology’ on October 14th.

Can organoids help us better understand and treat kidney disease? Fjodor Yousef Yengej set out to answer this question during his PhD. Today, he was awarded the cum laude distinction after successfully defending his thesis. 🎓 Congratulations Fjodor! Read more 👉 www.hubrecht.eu/phd-yousef-y...

Save the date! The second Hubrecht Symposium will take place on March 26, 2026. This year’s theme is “Molecular Machines in Development”, with Petra Hajkova, Andrea Pauli and @danielgerlich.bsky.social as keynote speakers. Registration opens soon, stay tuned via hubrecht.eu/hubrecht-symposium/. ‬

Congratulations to @hansclevers.bsky.social for receiving the Spanish Abarca Prize. "By discovering the Lgr5 marker and introducing gut organoid culture, he laid the foundation for a technology that today redefines biomedical research and clinical care." www.abarcaprize.com

We spoke to Miguel Leung, who today celebrates his first year as a group leader at the Hubrecht Institute. His group uses structural cell biology to study reproduction and microbial diversity at atomic resolution. Read the full interview here: www.hubrecht.eu/one-year-in-...

Max Madern receives CS&D Best Publication Award Max Madern received this year’s CS&D Best Publication Award for his research on ribosomes and their ability to help each other in difficult situations.

Visit our website for the full news item: www.hubrecht.eu/max-madern-r...

Dr. Eric Kalkhoven, coordinator of the CS&D PhD programme, hands over the certificate to Max Madern

Congrats to @maxmadern.bsky.social from the @marvintanenbaum.bsky.social group! He received the CS&D Best Publication Award for work revealing that ribosomes can help each other when translating tricky sequences. This was made possible by a method using circular RNA to watch ribosomes in action.

Neem een kijkje achter de schermen van de Universiteit Utrecht en kom naar het Weekend van de Wetenschap! Op zondag 5 oktober 2025 organiseert het Centrum voor Wetenschap en Cultuur (CWC) het Weekend van de Wetenschap: een publieksevenement met verschillende activiteiten gericht op families met kinderen t...

Full program of Utrecht University: www.uu.nl/agenda/neem-....

Looking for a Sunday activity, suitable for curious minds (young and old)? Visit our stand at Utrecht University on October 5th, during the Weekend of Science!

Here, you can discover all about DNA and learn more about the research at the Hubrecht Institute. More details below! 👇

Utrecht Science Week opened today! From September 26th to October 5th, Utrecht Science Park opens its doors to the public. Curious to see our labs from the inside? Register for our tour on October 2nd: https://www.utrechtsciencepark.nl/en/utrecht-science-week/programme?open=184. More details below 👇

Ready to establish your own research group at the Hubrecht Institute for Molecular and Developmental Biology? We’re seeking a tenure-track group leader to develop an innovative research line within our vibrant scientific community. Learn more & apply! https://f.mtr.cool/jncxfqkuds

🧬 Hubrecht researchers have developed a method that can detect DNA methylation and histone modifications simultaneously in single cells. They can now for the first time study how their interaction influences gene activity. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41592-025-02847-4 

@jervdberg.bsky.social

Meet the finalists looking to take on cancer's toughest challenges Meet the 2025 shortlist. 12 international world-class research teams go head to head to pitch for up to £20m ($25m) to tackle 7 new cancer challenges.

Read more about the proposal: www.cancergrandchallenges.org/meet-the-fin...

Congratulations to Juan Garaycoechea, @puckknipscheer.bsky.social and team CAUSE for being shortlisted in this year’s @cancergrand.bsky.social! They compete with 11 teams for £20M to study how DNA damage leads to mutation signatures in our DNA that can cause cancer. #CancerGrandChallenges

Final chance to apply for the Hubrecht International PhD Program! Applications close September 15th. 👇

Gastruloids and DNA replication – PhD defense Vincent van Batenburg Vincent van Batenburg successfully defended his PhD thesis. He worked on gastruloids and a new technique for studying DNA replication.

🎓 Today, Vincent van Batenburg successfully defended his thesis! He studied gastruloids, a model for early embryonic development, and also developed a technique to measure the speed of DNA replication in single cells. Congratulations Vincent!

Read more 👉

@technologyreview.com

Kim de Luca, Hubrecht alumna from the Kind group, was featured by MIT Technology Review in this year's Innovators Under 35! Swipe to read more.

The full list can be found here: http://www.technologyreview.com/innovators-under-35/2025/.

Epithelial tension controls intestinal cell extrusion Cell extrusion is essential for homeostatic self-renewal of the intestinal epithelium. Extrusion is thought to be triggered by crowding-induced compression of cells at the intestinal villus tip. In th...

1/11 In @science.org: A new perspective on how our intestines renew. Cells are not “pushed out” by crowding or die from apoptosis. Instead, cells play a mechanical tug-of-war, where weaker cells extrude, reframing gut renewal as force-regulated. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Intestinal cells are replaced every few days. Scientists always assumed that excess cells were pushed out to remove them, but now show that cells instead pull at each other in a sort of tug-of-war game to remove the weakest ones. 👉 www.hubrecht.eu/intestinal-cells-pull  

@hansclevers.bsky.social

Hans Clevers returns to the Hubrecht Institute Hans Clevers returns to the Hubrecht Institute from September 1st. He will lead the Clevers group as distinguished group leader.

We are pleased to welcome back former Hubrecht director and group leader @hansclevers.bsky.social to the Hubrecht Institute as of today! He will lead the Organoid group – now Clevers group – in the role of distinguished group leader.

Read more on our website 👉 www.hubrecht.eu/clevers-retu...

Congratulations to the Bothma group for becoming the very first lab at our institute to achieve a LEAF Silver certificate!

We are proud to see our labs adopting more sustainable practices, and we will continue working to make the Hubrecht Institute future-proof!

Danny Sahtoe receives Dutch Parkinson Foundation grant Danny Sahtoe has received a grant from the Dutch Parkinson Foundation. He will study new strategies for protein therapy against Parkinson's.

🎉 Congratulations Danny Sahtoe! He received a grant from the Dutch Parkinson Foundation to develop new protein-based strategies against Parkinson’s disease. Sahtoe aims to design proteins that can stop the spread of alpha-synuclein in the brain. Read more 👉 www.hubrecht.eu/sahtoe-grant...

Just one month left to apply for the Hubrecht International PhD Program! This fully funded 4-year PhD offers the opportunity to join a high-profile lab in molecular & developmental biology, exceptional training, and mentorship from leading scientists.

Apply before September 15 www.hubrecht.eu/hipp/

Tim Koopmans awarded Dekker Grant for research into heart repair Tim Koopmans has been awarded a Senior Scientist Dekker Grant. With the grant, he can further investigate the heart’s ability to repair itself after damage.

The human heart can’t repair itself after injury, but that of a spiny mouse can. With the Dekker Grant from the Hartstichting, Tim Koopmans will study how fibroblasts in the spiny mouse heart promote regeneration, aiming for regenerative treatments for heart disease. www.hubrecht.eu/koopmans-awa...