Oncode Investigators Ruben van Boxtel and Hans Clevers win Ammodo Science Award

Today it has been announced that the research groups Omnes Pro Uno (OPU) from Utrecht University and the Interdisciplinary Hub for Digitalization and Society (iHub) from Radboud University Nijmegen are the winners of the 2022 Ammodo Science Award for groundbreaking research. Each group receives a cash prize of 1.2 million euros that may be used to explore new areas of research.

2022. 03. 05.

Oncode Investigators Ruben van Boxtel and Hans Clevers - together with Edward Nieuwenhuis, Annelien Bredenoord and Sabine Fuchs - form the Utrecht research group OPU.

Juliette de Wijkerslooth, director of Ammodo says: "Great insights in science are often the product of good teamwork. With this in mind, we established the Ammodo Science Award for groundbreaking research in 2020: to provide a powerful extra stimulus to already excellent research groups in their pursuit of knowledge. We are now delighted to present the award for the second time to two more exceptional research groups."

Tailored treatment for genetic diseases
For ten years, research group OPU, winner in the Biomedical Sciences domain, has had the mission of seeking to find a cure for patients with a genetic disease before irreversible damage occurs in the body. Their research has led to groundbreaking world first discoveries. For example, researchers have succeeded in growing mini-organs from almost all tissues in the human body so that treatments can be tested and genetic errors corrected. The next ambitious step is for OPU to be the first in the world to correct the genetic cause of diseases directly in the bodies of patients via the bloodstream, before the disease has an opportunity adversely to affect the body.

Sabine Fuchs, OPU's principal investigator and paediatrician for metabolic diseases at UMC Utrecht, says: "By combining basic, clinical, social and ethical research in all phases of our work, our team offers a unique perspective on treatment to patients and society as a whole. Thanks to the Ammodo Science Award, our team can now use the unprecedented developments in genetic engineering ethically to develop innovative gene correction therapies to treat large group of patients with inherited diseases."

Professor Henk Kummeling, rector magnificus of Utrecht University: "Utrecht University and UMC Utrecht are extremely proud of our team of scientific leaders. By combining their complementary expertise in areas such as organoids, genetics, ethics and translational medicine in Omnes Pro Uno, they are making an important contribution to the treatment of rare diseases. Because these diseases are indeed so rare, less money is usually invested in developing appropriate therapies. Moreover, the research of OPU is closely linked to the educational function of our University, so the team also inspires the researchers and doctors of the future."

Read the full press release here

Read more about Omnes Pro Uno here