Research Teams

Team Leader
Jan van Weering

Secretory vesicle trafficking and recycling

We study the transport, docking, fusion and retrieval of two type secretory vesicles: small translucent neurotransmitter vesicles in pre-synapse of neurons and neuropeptide-containing, large dense-core vesicles in neurons and neuro-endocrine cells. The focus lies on the interactions between these secretory vesicles and the cytoskeleton as well as protein/lipid interactions in genetic model systems for disease.

Team Leader
Sander Groffen

Molecular Mechanisms of Exocytosis

The secretion of neurotransmitters is an extremely fast process which is fundamental for learning, memory and behavior. While the mechanism of classical neurotransmission has been exhaustively described, our group focuses on novel forms of neurotransmission which can be observed in all neurons all the time, but for which the mechanism still remains elusive.

Team Leader
Wiep Scheper

Molecular Neurodegeneration

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia, however, effective treatment or prevention of the disease is not available to date. The aim of our work is to identify early factors that drive the pathogenesis in sporadic AD. We employ different disease models and post-mortem brain material to investigate molecular pathways leading to AD pathology.

Team Leader
Niels Cornelisse

Synaptic Computation

Synapses are the basic units of computation in the brain. In my team we study the computational properties of synapses in health and disease. We use physiological- and genetic perturbation experiments and computational modelling in an iterative cycle to study synaptic principles.

Team Leader
Ruud Toonen

Vesicle Dynamics and Synaptic Plasticity

To process information the brain is constantly changing the strength of individual contacts (synapses) between nerve cells. Strict control of synaptic plasticity is important, as dysregulation of this process is often associated with neurological and psychiatric disorders. The main goal of the lab is to advance our understanding of the mechanisms that support synaptic plasticity and their dysfunction in disorders such as Alzheimer’s, epilepsy, schizophrenia and autism to provide novel treatment options and therapeutic targets.

Team Leader
Truus Abbink

White Matter Diseases

Our research aim is to understand how translationally regulated processes impact health and disease in CNS white matter. We currently focus on preclinical studies and development of suitable in vitro models for the childhood white matter disorder vanishing white matter.

Team Leader
Rik van der Kant

Dementia Discovery Group

The research in our group focusses on understanding the early cell biological processes that drive Alzheimer’s Disease and other related dementias. We use human stem cell-derived neurons, astrocytes and microglia combined with CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing to understand how genetic factors drive the earliest stages of disease pathogenesis. We use this knowledge to develop novel drugs for these disorders, with a strong focus on lipid metabolism. - more info coming soon