Catherine Robin has received an LSBR grant to advance a promising approach to blood stem cell generation. This project aims to establish gastruloids as an animal-free model to study blood stem cell development and enable scalable production of these cells. See www.hubrecht.eu/lsbr-grant-r...

1/ 🧬 Very excited to share our work on dissecting imputation strategies for single-cell histone modification data! academic.oup.com/nargab/artic... A huge thank you to @robinhweide.bsky.social, @jopkind.bsky.social and Jeroen de Ridder for their collaboration in this project!

Group leader @fmattiroli.bsky.social receives a KWF grant! Together with @aniekj.bsky.social and @nitikataneja.bsky.social, she will study the link between defects in heterochromatin – a specific form of DNA organization – and cancer development. Read more here 👉 www.hubrecht.eu/kwf-grant-mattiroli

Register now for the second Hubrecht Symposium, themed Molecular Machines in Development in Utrecht on March 26, 2026. Visit hubrecht.eu/hubrecht-symposium-2026/ for registration and abstract submission. Abstract submission deadline: February 1, 2026.

Today, Jonas Mars successfully defended his PhD thesis! 🎓 He investigated whether the crosstalk between specific signaling pathways during development has been evolutionarily conserved, by comparing these pathways in worms and mice. Congratulations Jonas! Read more here 👉 www.hubrecht.eu/phd-mars

New immune role discovered for M cells in the gut. New work in @nature.com by the group of hansclevers.bsky.social shows that human M cells can present antigens to T cells, including gluten antigens. This may link them to celiac disease. Read more: www.hubrecht.eu/immune-role-...

Congratulations Ina Sonnen on receiving a Consolidator Grant from @erc.europa.eu! It will allow her to strengthen her research group and take on questions such as: how do cells communicate robustly and precisely with each other during development, despite noise? Read more👉 www.hubrecht.eu/erc-sonnen

Today, Sonja Ruttchen Weterings successfully defended her PhD thesis! She investigated how the timing of molecular signals influences cell renewal in the small intestine. Congratulations Sonja! 🎓 www.hubrecht.eu/phd-ruttchen-weterings

🧬 What happens if you bring enhancers closer to their target genes? Today, @akfelder.bsky.social defended her thesis in which she developed a method to answer that question. Activating silent genes in this way could be a new approach to gene therapy. Congratulations Anna!🎓 www.hubrecht.eu/phd-felder

Joost Wijnakker from the @hansclevers.bsky.social group defended his PhD today. He found that the bacterial protein Invasin can support organoid growth without animal-derived Matrigel. A key step toward fully animal-free, defined organoid culture. Congrats! See www.hubrecht.eu/phd-joost-wijnakker/

New publication in @natbiotech.nature.com! Wim de Lau and colleagues from @hansclevers.bsky.social group describe an integrin-activating antibody that enhances organoid growth also in, medical-grade, collagen. An important step toward more affordable and translational organoid culture systems.

The mystery deepens: how did all complex life on Earth originate? In this intriguing VPRO Tegenlicht episode (in Dutch), PhD student Max Raas from the @kopslab.bsky.social talks about his collaboration with Berend Snel. They study the evolution of cell division machinery in single-celled organisms.

Can blood vessel organoids help us generate transplantable blood stem cells in the lab? Fabien Boudia can now explore this question thanks to a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Postdoctoral Fellowship. Read more about his project via www.hubrecht.eu/marie-curie-...

Researchers at Hubrecht Institute and Radboud University developed an animal-free gel in which organoids can grow and expand long-term. The PIC-invasin gel allows for more consistent, ethical and affordable organoid research. @hansclevers.bsky.social @pnas.org  🔗 https://f.mtr.cool/cekttmhhtn

What is this? It is cohesin, a molecular machine inside our cells, looping the DNA. Today, researchers at the Hubrecht Institute and NKI published a new molecular tool that allows them to study the effects of this process in living cells: www.nature.com/articles/s41.... 🎥 Cees Dekker Lab, TU Delft.

Can organoids help us better understand and treat kidney disease? Fjodor Yousef Yengej set out to answer this question during his PhD. Today, he was awarded the cum laude distinction after successfully defending his thesis. 🎓 Congratulations Fjodor! Read more 👉 www.hubrecht.eu/phd-yousef-y...

Save the date! The second Hubrecht Symposium will take place on March 26, 2026. This year’s theme is “Molecular Machines in Development”, with Petra Hajkova, Andrea Pauli and @danielgerlich.bsky.social as keynote speakers. Registration opens soon, stay tuned via hubrecht.eu/hubrecht-symposium/. ‬

Congratulations to @hansclevers.bsky.social for receiving the Spanish Abarca Prize. "By discovering the Lgr5 marker and introducing gut organoid culture, he laid the foundation for a technology that today redefines biomedical research and clinical care." www.abarcaprize.com

We spoke to Miguel Leung, who today celebrates his first year as a group leader at the Hubrecht Institute. His group uses structural cell biology to study reproduction and microbial diversity at atomic resolution. Read the full interview here: www.hubrecht.eu/one-year-in-...

Congrats to @maxmadern.bsky.social from the @marvintanenbaum.bsky.social group! He received the CS&D Best Publication Award for work revealing that ribosomes can help each other when translating tricky sequences. This was made possible by a method using circular RNA to watch ribosomes in action.

Looking for a Sunday activity, suitable for curious minds (young and old)? Visit our stand at Utrecht University on October 5th, during the Weekend of Science! Here, you can discover all about DNA and learn more about the research at the Hubrecht Institute. More details below! 👇

Utrecht Science Week opened today! From September 26th to October 5th, Utrecht Science Park opens its doors to the public. Curious to see our labs from the inside? Register for our tour on October 2nd: https://www.utrechtsciencepark.nl/en/utrecht-science-week/programme?open=184. More details below 👇

Ready to establish your own research group at the Hubrecht Institute for Molecular and Developmental Biology? We’re seeking a tenure-track group leader to develop an innovative research line within our vibrant scientific community. Learn more & apply! https://f.mtr.cool/jncxfqkuds

🧬 Hubrecht researchers have developed a method that can detect DNA methylation and histone modifications simultaneously in single cells. They can now for the first time study how their interaction influences gene activity. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41592-025-02847-4  @jervdberg.bsky.social

Congratulations to Juan Garaycoechea, @puckknipscheer.bsky.social and team CAUSE for being shortlisted in this year’s @cancergrand.bsky.social! They compete with 11 teams for £20M to study how DNA damage leads to mutation signatures in our DNA that can cause cancer. #CancerGrandChallenges

Final chance to apply for the Hubrecht International PhD Program! Applications close September 15th. 👇

🎓 Today, Vincent van Batenburg successfully defended his thesis! He studied gastruloids, a model for early embryonic development, and also developed a technique to measure the speed of DNA replication in single cells. Congratulations Vincent! Read more 👉

Kim de Luca, Hubrecht alumna from the Kind group, was featured by MIT Technology Review in this year's Innovators Under 35! Swipe to read more. The full list can be found here: http://www.technologyreview.com/innovators-under-35/2025/.

1/11 In @science.org: A new perspective on how our intestines renew. Cells are not “pushed out” by crowding or die from apoptosis. Instead, cells play a mechanical tug-of-war, where weaker cells extrude, reframing gut renewal as force-regulated. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Intestinal cells are replaced every few days. Scientists always assumed that excess cells were pushed out to remove them, but now show that cells instead pull at each other in a sort of tug-of-war game to remove the weakest ones. 👉 www.hubrecht.eu/intestinal-cells-pull   @hansclevers.bsky.social

We are pleased to welcome back former Hubrecht director and group leader @hansclevers.bsky.social to the Hubrecht Institute as of today! He will lead the Organoid group – now Clevers group – in the role of distinguished group leader. Read more on our website 👉 www.hubrecht.eu/clevers-retu...

Congratulations to the Bothma group for becoming the very first lab at our institute to achieve a LEAF Silver certificate! We are proud to see our labs adopting more sustainable practices, and we will continue working to make the Hubrecht Institute future-proof!

🎉 Congratulations Danny Sahtoe! He received a grant from the Dutch Parkinson Foundation to develop new protein-based strategies against Parkinson’s disease. Sahtoe aims to design proteins that can stop the spread of alpha-synuclein in the brain. Read more 👉 www.hubrecht.eu/sahtoe-grant...

Just one month left to apply for the Hubrecht International PhD Program! This fully funded 4-year PhD offers the opportunity to join a high-profile lab in molecular & developmental biology, exceptional training, and mentorship from leading scientists. Apply before September 15 www.hubrecht.eu/hipp/

The human heart can’t repair itself after injury, but that of a spiny mouse can. With the Dekker Grant from the Hartstichting, Tim Koopmans will study how fibroblasts in the spiny mouse heart promote regeneration, aiming for regenerative treatments for heart disease. www.hubrecht.eu/koopmans-awa...

We are deeply saddened by the passing of our colleague Catherine Rabouille. Catherine was senior group leader at the Hubrecht Institute, an exceptional cell biologist, a passionate mentor, and a driving force for diversity and inclusion in science. Full tribute: www.hubrecht.eu/in-memoriam-...

Welcome to the Hubrecht Institute @leootsuki.bsky.social! Together with his new team, Leo will study the molecular principles of tissue regeneration in the axolotl. Learn more about his work on our website www.hubrecht.eu/research-gro...

🧬 Looking for a PhD position in molecular or developmental biology? 🔬 ✉️ The Hubrecht Institute now has its very own PhD program! Applications are open and will be accepted until September 15th. Read more here 👉 www.hubrecht.eu/hipp/

🧬 How do epigenetic modifications change over time in the same cell? Are they maintained during cell divisions? Researchers from the Kind and Van Oudenaarden groups have found a way to study these types of questions: www.nature.com/articles/s41.... Read more below! 👇 @jopkind.bsky.social

🧬 What do cells do when the packaging of their DNA goes wrong? During his PhD, Jan Dreyer found cells to be surprisingly quick in detecting errors and starting up rescue responses. Today he successfully defended his thesis. Congratulations Jan! 🎓 Read more here 👉 www.hubrecht.eu/phd-jan-drey...

What if science is like solving puzzles? We spoke with @sonnenlab.bsky.social, a group leader who recently received tenure. She tells us about her journey, her research on signaling dynamics, and the challenges of leading a lab. Read her inspiring story here 👇 www.hubrecht.eu/ina-sonnen-t...

🧬What makes one cell different from another? Kim de Luca developed methods that help answer this question. They can be used to study DNA organization, regulation and repair in single cells. Today she successfully defended her thesis. Congratulations Kim!🎓 Read more 👉 www.hubrecht.eu/phd-kim-de-l...

The Den Hertog group uncovered a surprising mechanism in zebrafish tail development: when cells from Kupffer’s vesicle fail to migrate, a second tail-like structure can form. The discovery emerged during a screen of fungal metabolites. www.hubrecht.eu/tail-develop... @dev-journal.bsky.social

🧬 Does it matter whether genes are switched on from close by or from a distance? That is the question Sjoerd Tjalsma set out to answer during his PhD. Last week, he successfully defended his thesis. Congratulations Sjoerd! 🎓 Read more here 👉 www.hubrecht.eu/phd-sjoerd-t...

On 🌎World Sickle Cell Day🩸 we share a new gene therapy approach that holds promise for patients with sickle cell disease, thalassemia and possibly other genetic diseases.🧬 Researchers from the Hubrecht Institute, Erasmus MC, Sanquin and Oncode found a new method to switch genes on.

Congratulations to Dr. Joe Verity-Legg who successfully defended his PhD! He developed ChIMe-seq, a new method to study multiple epigenetic layers in single cells. It can be used to shed light on development and diseases such as cancer. Read more:

🎉Congratulations Geert Kops! ERC Advanced grant to study structure of the centromere, a crucial chromosome region that ensures proper cell division www.hubrecht.eu/erc-advanced... @kopslab.bsky.social @erc.europa.eu @oncodeinstitute.bsky.social @knaw-nl.bsky.social @umcutrecht.bsky.social #ERCAdG

🎉 Congratulations Geert Kops - ERC Advanced grant to study structure of the centromere, a crucial chromsome region that ensures proper cell division www.hubrecht.eu/erc-advanced... @kopslab.bsky.social @erc.europa.eu @oncodeinstitute.bsky.social @knaw-nl.bsky.social @umcutrecht.bsky.social #ERCAdG

Excited our paper is out! G-quadruplex (G4) unwinding via an intricate G-loop assembly and disassembly mechanism maintains genome integrity. Pioneered by Koichi Sato with great collaborators Jing Lyu and @simonelsasser.bsky.social Check it out: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adr0493 🧵(1/4)

Organoid group researchers created mini airway submucosal glands, or organoids, that produce region-specific mucus and function just like real glands in our lungs. A powerful tool to study how our airways repair themselves, react to inflammation, and fight off viruses. @cp-cellstemcell.bsky.social