News articles
Registration is now open: FEBS Young Scientist Forum 2026
Maastricht will be the place to be for the international biochemistry and molecular biology community from 4 to 8 July 2026, when it will host the 50th FEBS Congress. Although this may seem a long way off, there is every reason to take action now. Registration is now open for the FEBS Young Scientists Forum, which will take place from 2 to 4 July 2026.
ECC10 in Antwerp: Looking ahead
The EuChemS Chemistry Congress (ECC10) will take place in Antwerp in 2026! Over the coming months, we will be exploring the reasons why you shouldn’t miss Europe’s largest chemistry congress.
Easy enzymatic synthesis of amides
Amide synthesis has become much simpler with a new biocatalytic approach developed by researchers from Amsterdam. Their work was designated as a Very Important Paper in Angewandte Chemie.
Barcode-free platform for drug discovery
A new platform called self-encoded libraries has made the process of looking for drug candidates much simpler. This hit discovery method does not require large biomolecular tags, Leiden researchers show in Nature Comunications. ‘We believe this might democratise early drug discovery.’
Cell tracking algorithm keeps an eye on AI
Tracking cells in three-dimensional cell models such as organoids often requires lengthy manual review work. However, biophysicists at the AMOLF physics research institute have now developed a new algorithm published in Nature Methods that can track cells more efficiently and automatically identify any errors.
Vidi 2024: from stress resistant roots to adapting inks
Funding has been awarded to the Vidi projects of eight members of the NVBMB and the KNCV. With a maximum of €850,000 each, the researchers can develop their own innovative line of research and set up their own research group.
Lipids control lethal launch
Our immune system deploys specialized ‘killers’ to tackle viruses or tumor cells. As it turns out, the cellular lipid metabolism plays a key role in controlling these lethal, but essential tasks.
Organoids are now vegan, too!
This summer, we wrote about the polyisocyanide hydrogel protocol. Now, a team from Utrecht and Nijmegen has reported in PNAS that this gel has been used for the first time to grow 3D organoids in a completely animal-free environment.
Metal-organic speed camera distinguishes gases
Using a metal-organic framework (MOF), researchers in Leuven have developed a sensor that can distinguish gas molecules based on speed, as reported in Nature Communications.
MOFs get long-awaited Nobel status
‘Well deserved’ and ‘Bound to happen’ summarize the feeling among the MOF community to the news that the Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2025 is awarded to Susumu Kitagawa, Richard Robson and Omar Yaghi for their pioneering work on metal-organic frameworks.
From sports soles to sponges: the recycling of polyurethane foam is becoming a reality
Polyurethane foam is found in mattresses, furniture and many other products, and it produces a waste stream that is difficult to recycle. However, a team from the University of Twente has now presented a sustainable method in Green Chemistry for converting this widely used material into reusable building blocks.
Shining light on post-polymerisation functionalisation
A team from Utrecht University functionalises the C-H-bonds in polyolefins using just UV light without the need for solvents or catalysts, they report in JACS.
Cat pushes carbon rings in the right direction
These essential building blocks are found in medicines and commonly used insecticides, but they are also difficult to synthesise: alkylidenecyclopropanes. In Nature, an international team presents a new method that makes producing these ring-shaped carbon structures much more efficient.
Programmable precision for peptide positions
Using triazine-thiol exchange, a group from Nijmegen was able to program cysteine modifications in peptides by varying the pH, they report in ChemistryEurope.
3D bioprinter is ‘smart baby’
The 3D bioprinting of functional tissues is a complex, step-by-step process that depends on the designer. Now, however, biomedical engineers at Utrecht University have developed new technology published in Nature that integrates advanced imaging and artificial intelligence, enabling the 3D bioprinter to observe and analyse.
Green synthesis of aromatic nitriles
Leuven researchers have found a way to transform toluene into nitriles using electrochemistry, ammonia and… water! They report on this simple and potentially environmentally friendly procedure in ChemElectroChem.
Big Money for Big Chemistry
The National Growth Fund project, ‘Big Chemistry’, has provided eight consortia with €2.8 million. The projects focus on accelerating the search for chemicals with the desired properties.
Near-infrared light drives molecular motors
In JACS, a team from Groningen and Amsterdam report that they were able to drive molecular motors with near-infrared light using upconverting nanoparticles for the first time.
ERC Starting Grants awarded
With a success rate of 12.2%, obtaining an ERC Starting Grant was no easy feat. Two KNCV- and two NVBMB-members managed to pass the selection and secure a grant.
KNCV Gold Medal 2025 awarded to Bruno Ehrler
Bruno Ehrler, head of the Hybrid Solar Cells group at research institute AMOLF in Amsterdam and professor at the University of Groningen is the recipient of the KNCV Gold Medal 2025.
