Pieter Vader, Associate Professor, received the Prix Galien Research Award 2021 last night. This prestigious award honors the work of a promising young researcher in the field of basic or clinical drug research. Pieter focuses his research on developing a new generation of drugs based on extracellular membrane vesicles.
“It is pure interest that drives me,” Pieter explained after receiving theaward. “I like to discover new things and solve fundamental questions. Then I dive very deep into the matter. But I don’t work at UMC Utrecht for nothing. I do want the discovery to be able to treat people.”
Pieter is Associate Professor at the Central Diagnostic Laboratory and conducts his research in part within Experimental Cardiology. His team currently consists of 2 postdocs and 10 PhD students, and he was previously co-supervisor of 4 PhD students. His team’s research focuses on developing a new generation of drugs based on exosomes. These extracellular membrane vesicles are nanoparticles that occur naturally in our bodies and play an important role in communication between cells.
Pieter seeks to gain insight into the biological mechanisms by which exosomes can influence (patho)physiological processes. In doing so, he focuses specifically on the role of exosomes in regeneration of the heart. The contribution of his research in the field of drugs is particularly focused on the application of membrane vesicles as carriers for drugs consisting of RNA. This is a form of therapy that is very much on the rise.
Attention to his ability to conduct groundbreaking research is evidenced by the award of several prestigious fellowships, including a Rubicon, Veni and Vidi award from NWO and a Starting Grant from the European Research Council. Professor Matthew Wood, professor of neuroscience at the University of Oxford, describes Pieter as “an emerging scientific leader of exceptional potential.
Also watch Pieter Vader’s film.
