Cell & Systems Biology
The Research Theme 'Cell & Systems Biology' focuses on the chain of events all the way from modulation of gene expression up to the resulting phenotype in cells.
Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences
A multidisciplinary research institute with a systems biology approach to the life sciences.
Research
Neurosciences
The mission of the Neurosciences collaboration is to understand the fundamental mechanisms that underlie development and synaptic and structural plasticity of the brain as well as information processing.
Microbiology
The Microbiology theme studies the molecular mechanisms involved in the processes, works on techniques to prevent microbial pathogens, and develops novel ways to employ microbes for biotechnological applications.
Green Life Sciences
Research in Green Life Sciences aims at understanding at the molecular level how plants deal with biotic and abiotic constraints, how they interact with insects (herbivores, pollinators), microbes and other organisms and how they diversified during evolution.
Underpinning technologies
SILS contains several expertise centres that contribute to the research in- and outside of SILS with valuable technological expertise. The involved technologies serve as underpinning technologies for the whole institute.
News
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Book on the code of consciousness
"This is not a book for the faint of heart - it is for doubters, tinkerers, worriers, trackers and other people curious about what's going on up there in their head," thus Cyriel Pennartz on his new book. In the ...Read more -
Predicting the structure and dynamics of membrane protein GerAB from Bacillus subtilis
Dr Jocelyne Vreede of the research group Computational Chemistry at the Van 't Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences (HIMS) worked together with researchers at the UvA's Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences (SILS) ...Read more -
New mechanism of antibiotic tetracycline discovered
Microbiologists have discovered a thus far unknown mechanism of action of the antibiotic tetracycline, that has remained hidden in over 50 years of research on this compound.Read more -
In memoriam: Prof. Durk Stegwee
Last week we received the news that emeritus professor Durk Stegwee has passed away at the age of 95. Stegwee was professor of Plant Physiology at the UvA from 1967 to 1987.Read more -
Molecular biologists identify possible ebselen-derived inhibitors of COVID-19
Ebselen possible drug against COVID-19; coronaRead more -
Scientists present vision for today’s challenges
The sectors of environmental sciences, astronomy, biology and pharmaceutical sciences present a joint vision to the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science today, entitled 'Voor een sterker fundament'Read more -
NWA Grant for integrating human principles in AI
A collaborative consortium of Dutch researchers and partners from the private and public sector will focus on bringing human principles into AI solutions to integrate smart machines in society. They received a grant ...Read more -
New NWO Team Science award for Amsterdam Science Park Study group
Dutch funding agency NWO has established five new awards, intended to reward scientists who develop special initiatives outside their research. The first Team Science awards were presented on Monday, November 30. One ...Read more -
Michel Haring appointed as new director of SILS
In January 2021 Michel Haring will take over as director of the Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences. Haring, Professor of Plant Physiology, will take over from Prof. Marten Smidt, who will focus on his activities ...Read more -
NWO-ENW grant for UvA plant biologists to identify protein targets in cold stress signalling
Plants can’t run from cold, but they can switch their metabolism to protect themselves. How plants perceive cold signals and convert them into protecting themselves is still largely unknown. Dr Steven Arisz and Dr ...Read more -
Research about restored brain function by using sleeping pills
It has been all over the popular news: a Dutch man who has not been able to move or talk for eight years due to severe brain injury can once again function normally with the use of sleeping pills. Neurobiologists ...Read more -
Patented 'molecular heaters' to increase crop yield
Researchers at the University of Amsterdam have developed a novel class of molecules capable of raising the temperature of plants.Read more -
Real time imaging of bacteria inside living plants
Plants can get diseased and develop disease symptoms upon infection by pathogenic bacteria, just as we do. In the case of crops this can lead to severe yield losses. To unravel the mechanism of invasion of bacterial ...Read more -
Titia Sijen has been named professor by special appointment of Forensic Human Biology
Prof. Titia Sijen (b. 1967) has been named professor by special appointment of Forensic Human Biology at the University of Amsterdam’s (UvA) Faculty of Science. The chair was established on behalf of a foundation, ...Read more -
Eight UvA researchers test innovative ideas using Idea Generator funding
Eight UvA researchers have had their proposals for out-of-the-box research ideas awarded funding from the Dutch Research Agenda’s Idea Generator programme. The researchers will each receive 50,000 euros to further ...Read more -
AI4Science Lab sets out to take scientific data analysis to the next level
The organization has been set up, the research programme established and PhD students appointed: the new AI4Science Laboratory is ready for take-off. A virtual kick-off workshop on Wednesday 8 July celebrates the ...Read more -
Open Science Use Case Award for Joachim Goedhart
Joachim Goedhart from the Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences (SILS-UvA), together with Przemek Krawczyk (AUMC) and Martijn S. Luijsterburg (LUMC) were awarded an Open Science Use Case Award for their case “A ...Read more -
Introducing the 2020 Amsterdam iGEM team
What if we could make the production of interesting compounds more sustainable? A group of master students will take on this challenge and participate in iGEM 2020, an international synthetic biology competition. ...Read more -
UvA neuroscientists receive European grant of 1.5 million for final phase of Human Brain Project
The European Commission has recently approved the start of the third and final phase of the Human Brain Project. The University of Amsterdam has a leading role within this large, international project, that aims to ...Read more -
Comenius Teaching Fellow grant awarded to Faculty of Science lecturer Erwin van Vliet
The Netherlands Initiative for Education Research (NRO) has awarded a Comenius Teaching Fellow grant to Faculty of Science lecturer Erwin van Vliet. The grant is intended to enable inspired lecturers to implement ...Read more -
Corona measurements at SILS
SILS is monitoring the situation surrounding the coronavirus closely and follows the measurements taken by the UvA. These will be in place until at least Monday 1 June.Read more -
UvA biologists develop technique for more precise live cell fluorescence microscopy
A multidisciplinary team coordinated by biologist Stanley Brul of the University of Amsterdam’s Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences has improved a technique to study live cells in time with the help of ...Read more -
Marie Curie Fellowships awarded to thirteen UvA researchers
Thirteen talented UvA researchers have been awarded Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships to conduct their research. The fellowships are personal grants, which range from around €175,000 to €280,000 euros for ...Read more -
Know your (true) correlation in life sciences data
Correlations are abundantly used in the life sciences and other areas of science. They are easy to calculate and understand. However, correlations based on comprehensive “omics” measurements - such as RNAseq, ...Read more -
Method published for the generation of bright red fluorescent proteins
In 2016, biologists of the Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences of the UvA (UvA-SILS) have created a bright red fluorescent protein. Good news for cancer- and stem cell researchers, who use these fluorescent ...Read more -
How the brain tracks the location of other beings
A region of the brain known as the hippocampus constantly keeps track of one’s own location in an environment. It uses this information map to create and consolidate personal memories (like the memory of a music ...Read more -
NWO Crossover grant for the development of brain implants
Prof. Cyriel Pennartz and Umberto Olcese from the Cognitive and Systems Neuroscience group at SILS-UvA are part of a Dutch consortium that received a €14.3 million grant from the NWO Crossover programme for their ...Read more -
Amsterdam Neuroscience grants awarded to UvA researchers
Jeannette Lorteije, Joram Mul, Umberto Olcese and Erwin van Vliet together with Helmut Kessels have been awarded four Amsterdam Neuroscience grants.Read more -
European grant for research into disrupted integration of sensory information in autism
A consortium led by the University of Amsterdam has been awarded with a grant from the European FLAG-ERA 2019 Joint Transnational call programme.Read more -
IAS hosts celebration for interdisciplinary PhD candidates
Following the establishment in 2017 of the UvA’s Interdisciplinary Doctorate Agreement (IDA), a gathering was held on Monday, 21 October, at the Institute for Advanced Studies to celebrate the hiring of the last of ...Read more -
Kick-off of new AI4Science lab
The new AI4Science lab starts off this month, by appointing Patrick Forré as its lab manager and as an assistant professor. The AI4Science lab is a joint initiative of the institutes for astronomy (API), biology ...Read more -
Novel insights into regulation of plant-fungi symbiosis
Many plants have a symbiotic relationship with fungi to help them mobilize nutrients from their surroundings. Establishment of the relationship is regulated via signalling pathways, of which much was still unknown. ...Read more -
€20 million for plant stress research
A consortium headed by the University of Amsterdam will receive a grant of over €20 million to study the relationship between plants and the microorganisms that live on their roots. In due course, this project is ...Read more -
In memoriam: Chris de Koster
On Monday 5 August our colleague Chris de Koster passed away after a long period of illness. Chris was the chair of the Mass Spectrometry of Biomacromolecules research group and a highly valued employee, scientist, ...Read more -
Rubicon grant for three UvA researchers
Three researchers who recently received their PhD at the University of Amsterdam have been awarded a Rubicon grant from the Dutch Research Council (NWO) to conduct research abroad. Marie Deserno, Sylvie Lesuis and ...Read more -
Veni research grants for 23 UvA researchers
The Dutch Research Council (NWO) has awarded a Veni grant worth up to 250,000 euros to 166 highly promising young scientists. The grant provides the laureates with the opportunity to further elaborate their own ideas ...Read more -
Daily hormone cycle important for the aging brain
Aging comes with a risk of cognitive impairment and neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease. The maintenance of neural stem cells is important to keep the brain functioning. Unfortunately, these cells ...Read more -
Why are Brassica crops so susceptible to Black Rot?
V-shaped yellow sectors on the leaf edges and blackening of the leaf veins in Brassica crops such as broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, radishes or watercress are typical disease symptoms of Black Rot, a major ...Read more -
In memoriam: Prof. Fernando Lopes da Silva
In Memoriam: on 7 May 2019, Fernando Lopes da Silva passed away at the age of 84.Read more -
Funding for studying mechanisms of antibiotic resistance
Microbiologists at the Swammerdam Institute of Life Sciences at the University of Amsterdam (SILS-UvA) have received nearly 400k funding from the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) to study ...Read more -
Inge Huitinga, professor by special appointment of Neuroimmunology
Dr I. Huitinga (1960) has been named professor by special appointment of Neuroimmunology, specialising in the pathology of multiple sclerosis, at the University of Amsterdam (UvA)'s Faculty of Science. The chair is ...Read more -
Helmut Kessels receives more than half a million for Alzheimer's research
The Hersenstichting (Dutch Brain Foundation) awards € 555,000 to an Alzheimer's study by Helmut Kessels of the University of Amsterdam. Kessels will use the grant to investigate how the natural protection mechanism ...Read more -
Therapeutic insights into the molecular effects of epileptic seizures
The molecular effect of mild epileptic seizures on the brain is poorly understood. A team of neuroscientists lead by Carlos Fitzsimons (SILS-UvA) have discovered how to revert effects of small RNA molecules present ...Read more -
Ten researchers to conduct research at UvA with Marie Curie Fellowship
Ten talented researchers have been awarded a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowship to conduct research at the University of Amsterdam (UvA). The awarded projects include research on public support for ...Read more -
UvA biologists solve the long-standing riddle how lemons can be so extremely sour
Citrus fruits come in many varieties and tastes; some are sweet, and some are sour. Extremely sour. Biologists have long sought for the mechanism that enables cells of, for example, lemons to become acidified to such ...Read more -
Three UvA researchers receive NWO Vici grants worth 1.5 million euros
The Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) has awarded a Vici grant of 1.5 million euros to UvA researchers Denny Borsboom and Jaap van Buul and AMC-UvA researcher Diederik van de Beek. The Vici grant ...Read more -
UvA biologists discover previously unknown survival strategy of bacteria
Biologists from the University of Amsterdam (UvA) have discovered an unknown, alternative survival strategy for bacteria: a kind of zombie mode, in which they do not sleep, but slow down extremely.Read more -
Systems Epigenetics international conference in retrospect
Last November the international conference ‘Systems Epigenetics: Towards Precision Cancer Medicine’ took place at the Royal Tropical Institute in Amsterdam. It was organised by the EU H2020 EpiPredict consortium. ...Read more -
FameLab: Pitch your research!
Are you a PhD student or postdoc, between 21 - 40 years old, and would you like to learn how to explain your research to a general public ... in just three minutes? Join FameLab!Read more -
Jaap van Buul, professor by special appointment of Molecular Cell Biology of Cell Migration
Dr J.D. van Buul (1973) has been named professor by special appointment of Molecular Cell Biology of Cell Migration at the University of Amsterdam’s (UvA) Faculty of Science. The chair was established on behalf of ...Read more -
Three NWO grants for fundamental chemical research
The Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) has awarded three ECHO grants to UvA researchers working at the Van 't Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences (HIMS), the Swammerdam Institute for Life ...Read more -
Saskia Hogenhout, professor by special appointment of Molecular Plant-Microbe-Insect Interactions
Prof. S.A. Hogenhout (1969) has been named professor by special appointment of Molecular Plant-Microbe-Insect Interactions at the University of Amsterdam’s (UvA) Faculty of Science. This chair was established on ...Read more -
UvA biologists discover important regulator of tomato hairs
Tomato plants protect themselves against herbivorous insects with the help of tiny hairs. A team of biologists from the University of Amsterdam (UvA), supervised by dr. Rob Schuurink, in collaboration with Rijk ...Read more -
Biologists find potential Achilles heel of infamous banana fungus
Banana farming is threatened worldwide by the dreaded Fusarium wilt disease. The disease results from a fungus that causes banana plants to wither and die. A study led by professor Martijn Rep of the University of ...Read more -
Five million euros for European research to increase agricultural and horticultural yields
The 'Boostcrop' consortium with researchers from the University of Amsterdam's Van 't Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences and Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences has been awarded nearly 5 million euros from the ...Read more -
How to find new antibiotics
Scientific discoveries seldom are the result of a Eureka!-moment of a single person. They usually take years of hard labour by multiple people and lots of collaboration. This is the story of how we are starting to ...Read more -
Physics2Market grant for promising research to improve cold-stress tolerance of plants
UvA researchers have found a way to improve the plant's resilience to low temperature stress. The first results are promising and the agricultural sector has already expressed its interest. For the further ...Read more -
Harro Bouwmeester wins Sandmeyer Award 2018
On 6 September 2018, Prof. Harro Bouwmeester (Plant Hormone Biology), received The Sandmeyer Award 2018.Read more -
Epigenetic-based chronological age-prediction: a new objective tool for forensic case work
A team of researchers led by Pernette Verschure and Ate Kloosterman of the Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences at the UvA have developed an age prediction tool for forensic application based on DNA methylation. ...Read more -
Breast cancer fuelled by mysterious Yin Yang Protein
An international team of researchers found during their study that tumours can change their ‘appearance’ to evade cancer treatments, using epigenetic mechanisms. The researchers used clinical samples from patients ...Read more -
Oil enzyme protects plants from freezing
Cold temperatures can lay waste to crops. A study investigating how plants in cold climates protect themselves from freezing sheds light on a novel metabolic pathway that helps plants to survive frost. The study was ...Read more -
Photanol to build demonstration plant at AkzoNobel site in Delfzijl
Photanol BV, Amsterdam, has closed a substantial new financing round to demonstrate its industrial capabilities to produce chemicals from CO2 and sunlight. Photanol BV is a spin-off company established in 2008 by UvA ...Read more -
What rare mutations can teach us about brain development and disease
In patients with unknown disorders, novel techniques such as next-generation sequencing can be used to identify unexplored genetic mutations. This way, mutations in the gene CHMP1A were found to be involved in a ...Read more -
NWO Partnership grant for Harro Bouwmeester
Harro Bouwmeester from UvA’s Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences was awarded an NWO Partnership grant, worth €1.2 million, for the development of alternative approaches to pesticide control in potato crops. The ...Read more -
Good rating for Biomedical Sciences Bachelor's and Master's programmes
Both the Bachelor's and Master's programmes in Biomedical Sciences at the University of Amsterdam received a final rating of 'Good' in the reaccreditation recently concluded by the Accreditation Organisation of the ...Read more -
Antimicrobial elements discovered as possible leads to new antibiotics
The rise of antibiotic resistance in microorganisms is a concerning situation and leads to the necessity to develop novel antimicrobial medicines. Microbiologist Soraya Omardien, together with her colleagues from ...Read more -
Martijn Rep, professor of Phytopathology
Dr M. Rep (1968) has been appointed professor of Phytopathology at the University of Amsterdam’s (UvA) Faculty of Science, effective 1 June.Read more -
NWO grant for Rob Schuurink and Paula van Kleeff
Plant physiologists Rob Schuurink and Paula van Kleeff from the Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences (SILS) at the University of Amsterdam received an NWO grant for research on making tomato plants less susceptible ...Read more -
Researchers discover human-specific genes possibly responsible for larger brain
The evolution of larger brains in the last 3 million years played an important role in our ability as a species to think, problem-solve and develop culture. But the genetic changes behind the expansion that made us ...Read more -
Lecturer in the Spotlight: Pernette Verschure
Pernette Verschure conducts research in the field of epigenetics, and teaches on this subject in the Biomedical Sciences Bachelor’s and Master’s programmes. She also teaches epigenetics as part of the Forensic ...Read more -
Sander Bohté, professor by special appointment of Cognitive Neurobiology
Dr S.M. Bohté (1974) has been named professor by special appointment of Cognitive Neurobiology, specialising in Computational Neuroscience, at the University of Amsterdam (UvA)'s Faculty of Science. The chair was ...Read more -
Lecturer in the Spotlight: Lars van der Heide
Neuroscientist Lars van der Heide coordinates the Molecular Neurosciences track of the Master’s programme Biomedical Sciences. He also lectures in the Bachelor’s programme Psychobiology. His research focuses on the ...Read more -
Cell biologists unravel germination strategy of bacterial spores
Cell biologists at UvA's Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences have developed a method that allows for the comprehensive analysis of protein profiles from a bacterial spore to vegetative growing cells. The results ...Read more -
Differences in DNA modifications are sufficient for hybrid vigour
It was thought for a long time that hybrid vigour - the phenomenon that the offspring of two different parents perform better for a given trait than the parents - is only the result of genetic differences between ...Read more -
New leads to understanding plant immunity
Plant immune systems, like those of humans and animals, face a difficult balancing act: they must mount responses against ever-evolving pathogens, but they must not overdo it. An international group of plant ...Read more -
New antibiotic in Thai herbal medicine
An international team of microbiologists, including Michaela Wenzel and Leendert Hamoen, discovered that the plant chemical rhodomyrtone offers potential for a new antibiotic. Rhodomyrtone is used in Thai herbal ...Read more -
Biologist discusses use of p-value
Biologist Joachim Goedhart of the Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences questions the habitual use of P-values in science. Goedhart has written a ‘Correspondence’ on this subject that appeared in Nature, entitled ...Read more -
Helmut Kessels, professor of Cellular and Computational Neuroscience
Dr. H.W.H.G. Kessels (1972) has been appointed professor of Cellular and Computational Neuroscience at the University of Amsterdam's (UvA) Faculty of Science.Read more -
NWO Rubicon grant for Yanfang Feng
Dr Yanfang Feng, former PhD student at the Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences, has recieved an NWO Rubicon grant. Feng will utilise the grant for her two-year research at Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts ...Read more -
Proteins analysed in the Bacillus cereus spore coat
Spores of Bacillus cereus pose a threat to food safety due to their high resistance to the heat or acid treatments commonly used to make food microbiologically safe. Researchers from 3 SILS groups joined forces to ...Read more -
Effects of salt on root growth
Plant cell biologists from the University of Amsterdam have studied the changes induced in plant roots when exposed to high salt concentrations. The researchers measured different root traits and developed an app ...Read more -
Kowalski Prize 2017 for publication on modeling covariance
UvA bioinformatics Age Smilde and Huub Hoefsloot together with other colleagues have received the Kowalski Prize 2017 for a publication describing a new method for modeling covariance. The prize was awarded in the ...Read more -
Microbes common denominator in efficient solar energy conversion
How do you converse solar energy into fuel and other chemical compounds on an industrial scale? In a quantitative analysis of the most promising strategies, UvA biologists identified microbes as the key to efficient ...Read more -
New method to determinate precise gene dosage
A team of researchers lead by systems biologist Matteo Barberis (SILS, UvA) has envisioned an innovative method that allows the quantification of gene copy numbers in mammalian cells. Their findings have been ...Read more -
UvA spin-off Macrobian Biotech secures seed investment
The University of Amsterdam (UvA)’s Faculty of Science, UvA Ventures Holding B.V. and Innovation Exchange Amsterdam (IXA-UvA) are pooling their resources to fund Macrobian Biotech BV, a single asset biotech company ...Read more -
Funding for high tech potato cultivation
A programme for potato cultivation, in which the group of UvA-SILS researcher Timo Breit participates, has been awarded a funding of 1.5 million euros by OPZuid and the Province Zeeland. The funding is meant for the ...Read more -
KWF Grant for Renée van Amerongen
Cell biologist Renée van Amerongen of the Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences has been awarded a €500,000 grant from KWF Kankerbestrijding. Van Amerongen will use this grant to expand her research efforts on ...Read more -
Grant for research in heat resistance of bacterial spores
Stanley Brul, Erik Manders and Chris de Koster (Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences) have been awarded an NWO-ALW Open Competition grant. Their work focusses on the molecular physiology of the minimal survival ...Read more -
Predicting transcriptional enhancers in the maize genome
An international team of moleculair biologists and bio-informatics scientists succeeded in the genome wide identification of transcriptional enhancers in the maize genome. With this study, an important step is taken ...Read more -
Seventeen UvA and AMC-UvA researchers awarded Veni grants
The Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) has awarded Veni grants worth up to €250,000 to 17 UvA and AMC-UvA researchers who recently obtained their doctorate. The grants give promising young ...Read more -
ECHO grant for heat and salt stress in plants
Researcher Teun Munnik (Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences) receives an NWO ECHO Grant for his research into proteins involved in heat- and osmotic stress signalling in plants.Read more -
Flowers actively communicate with environment
An international team of researchers, which includes Robert Schuurink from the University of Amsterdam, has discovered that flowers actively transfer molecules in the air to attract pollinators like bees and moths. ...Read more -
Blog on the impact of epigenetics
Stefania Astrologo MSc (Synthetic Systems Biology and Nuclear Organisation group) and Désirée Goubert MSc (UMCG) of the EU H2020 EpiPredict project coordinated by Dr Pernette J. Verschure, published a blog describing ...Read more -
Phytohormones form species-distinct defence
Dr Frank Takken and Dr Di Xiaotang from the Molecular Plant Pathology group recently published in the homonymously named journal on the roles of phytohormones in plant defence upon pathogen attack. They show that the ...Read more -
Vacuolino; a new type of vacuole discovered in petal cells
Researchers from the Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences (UvA) and the Universities of Lecce and Perugia have discovered a new organelle in plant cells. The so-called vacuolino is a tiny type of vacuole involved ...Read more -
How to become a copper tolerance champion
Yanbang Li, Kees Spelt, Mattijs Bliek, Francesca Quattrocchio, Ronald Koes and Henk Schat (Plant Development and Epi-Genetics ) and Qianqian Zhang (Plant Cell Biology) published a paper in New Phytologist addressing ...Read more -
New insights into development of Huntington’s disease
The research group led by Pernette Verschure (UvA-SILS), together with researchers from the Amsterdam Medical Center and Leiden University Medical Center, has gained new insights into the development of Huntington’s ...Read more -
UvA researchers discover new ‘GPS’ neuron
An international research team led by UvA researchers Jeroen Bos, Martin Vinck and Cyriel Pennartz has identified a new type of neuron which might play a vital role in humans’ ability to navigate their environments. ...Read more -
Amsterdam Brain and Cognition Grant for Harm Krugers
Neurobiologist Dr Harm Krugers has been awarded a grant from the UvA Amsterdam Brain and Cognition Grant. The awarded project studies the relationship between social behavior and early life events.Read more
About the institute