Credit: Peter Kuznetsov 26 March 2024 Prestigious Gravitation grant for Jeroen Bakkers in the Lifelong VISION consortium Back to news Group leader Jeroen Bakkers is part of the Lifelong VISION consortium that received 22 million from the The Ministry of Education, Culture and Science within the scope of the Gravitation programme. This consortium is a large partnership between the best scientists from The Netherlands in the field of vision research. The Gravitation grant allows them to develop novel therapeutic approaches to combat vision loss. The Bakkers group will contribute by identifying novel mechanisms that drive retinal regeneration using zebrafish. Blindness is rated among the top 15 causes of disability and affects both young and old. In the elderly, loss of vision is often caused by age-related damage to the retina, known as macular degeneration (AMD). In young people, an inherited eye disorder affecting the retina, also known as inherited retinal dystrophy (IRD) is often the cause. In the Lifelong VISION project, scientists with expertise in various fields such as molecular biology, regenerative medicine, epidemiology and artificial intelligence, will join forces to provide patient-centered solutions for blindness. The Bakkers group will contribute to the Lifelong VISION project its core expertise in molecular processes underlying regeneration, the recovery of lost tissues after damage. Using state-of-the art transcriptomics techniques and the zebrafish as a model, they aim to identify novel mechanisms that drive retinal regeneration. Jeroen Bakkers: “This gravitation grant will give us the opportunity to get new insights into general principles that underly regeneration by comparing the molecular and cellular processes that drive regeneration in different tissues such as heart and retina.” Together with their efforts, the Lifelong VISION consortium aims to generate novel regenerative approaches to restore vision loss in patients with eye disorders, such as IRD and AMD. These innovative therapeutic solutions will also serve as a blueprint for other diseases and organs. About Gravitation With the Gravitation programme, the government promotes excellent research in the Netherlands. The programme is intended for consortia of scientists who conduct innovative and influential research within their professional discipline. The purpose is to encourage research programmes to achieve international breakthroughs. The consortia also make a substantial contribution to the training of talented researchers. From 37 applications in 2023, seven consortia have been selected and together they received a total of 160.5 million euros. Jeroen Bakkers is group leader at the Hubrecht Institute and professor of Molecular Cardiogenetics at the UMC Utrecht.
