Launch of the European Exposome Alliance
Roel Vermeulen co-launched the new Exposome Alliance at the European Parliament. The Alliance aims to shift EU policy from treatment to prevention by addressing lifelong environmental and social exposures driving chronic disease. The alliance calls for a 1 billion euro “Mission Exposome,” a 10-million-person cohort, and a European Exposome Data Space to strengthen science-policy impact. See also this article […]
Grants for Tuncay Baubec and Hanneke Vlaming
Tuncay Baubec and Hanneke Vlaming have received NWO Open Competition ENW-M grants. Baubec will study how gene context shapes transcription factor activity, while Vlaming investigates proteins controlling early RNA termination. Their projects advance fundamental insights into gene regulation and cell identity, enabling innovative, high-risk research directions
Jeroen de Ridder leads new group at Princess Máxima Center
UBC member Jeroen de Ridder has been appointed head of a research group at the Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology. The De Ridder group applies AI to molecular tumor data for faster, more precise diagnosis of childhood cancers. Jeroen remains affiliated with UMC Utrecht, and will continue to strengthen bioinformatics collaborations across the Utrecht Science Park.
Recent publications by UBC members
Below, you can find an overview of publications by UBC principal investigators during the period from September 2025 –December 2025. Metabolic engineering reveals the relative importance of different sugar catabolic pathways during consumption of plant biomass by Aspergillus niger, Current Research in Microbial Sciences, Volume 9, 2025 Tania Chroumpi et al. (With Ronald de Vries) A […]
Message from the Executive Committee
Dear UBC,
As the year draws to a close, we look back with pride and appreciation on a truly memorable edition of our annual symposium. The lively discussions, the exchange of ideas and the warm sense of connection once again highlighted the strength and ambition of our community. Thank you to everyone who contributed to this day!
Looking ahead, we are excited to deepen our involvement in the Multi-scale Spatial Omics Platform in close collaboration with Kristof van Avondt and the Strategic Theme Life Sciences (STLS) community. Spatial transcriptomics and related technologies are developing quickly, and we see a clear need for bioinformatics methods that are both powerful and accessible to researchers across the Utrecht Science Park. By addressing this need, we can position Utrecht even more firmly at the forefront of data-driven life sciences.
We also extend our warm congratulations to Albert Heck and the BioBeyond_NL team, as well as to Daniel Tamarit , for securing new funding that will help advance their research.
We wish you a wonderful holiday season and an inspiring start to the new year!
Ronnie de Jonge
On behalf of the UBC Daily Board