ZonMW Team Science funding for Pouyan Boukany and Elizabeth Carroll
BEI PIs Pouyan Boukany (TNW/ChemE) and Elizabeth Carroll (TNW/ImPhys) are part of teams that have received a maximum of 750,000 euros from the programme ZonMw Open Competition. Pouyan is member of a team that will investigate changing the behaviour of aggressive cancer cells, Elizabeth will contribute to a project aimed at better understanding diabetes.
Targeting the mesenchymal cancer cell phenotype for therapeutic gain
- Prof. ir. P. (Peter) ten Dijke – Leiden University Medical Center
- Dr P.E. (Pouyan) Boukany – TU Delft
- Prof. J.W.M. (John) Martens and prof. S. (Stefan) Sleijfer – Erasmus MC Cancer Institute
Most cancer patients die from malignant metastases, or because the patients have become insensitive to chemotherapy. In this project, we aim to identify and repurpose existing drugs to selectively change the behaviour of aggressive cancer cells into non-invasive and therapy sensitive cancer cells or benign fat cells.
Beta cell stress and the exocrine pancreas: A cause/consequence relationship?
- Dr B.N.G.G. (Ben) Giepmans – UMC Groningen
- Dr E.C.M.C. (Elizabeth) Carroll – TU Delft
- Dr A. (Arnaud) Zaldumbide – Leiden University Medical Center
Evidence that the complete pancreas is affected in Type 1 diabetes is emerging. In zebrafish larvae the scientist microscopically study a cause-consequence relationship to understand whether the insulin producing cells will be stressed by their neighbours involved in food processing, which may be a long-sought trigger for Type 1 diabetes.