21 Nov 2013

In 2013, the foundation donates €70,000 to AVL

image

On November 20, 2013, chairman Daan Hendriksz and board member Peike Pleijzier, on behalf of the board, presented 2 checks totaling €70,000 to AVL in Amsterdam for research on brain tumors.

During the informal gathering, Maarten van Lohuizen, research leader at AVL, also presented an overview of his team’s research on the origin and treatment of brain tumors:

“Glioblastomas are the most common brain tumors for which new therapies urgently need to be developed. We have shown that Polycomb gene switches play a crucial role in these tumors. Recently, with support from the Aniek Hendriksz Foundation and KWF, we investigated the potential of new inhibitors against Polycomb in glioblastoma mouse models. While short-term treatment showed tumor-inhibiting effects, prolonged treatment resulted in resistance, leading to faster-growing tumors. This highlights the importance of precise administration of these inhibitors. Moreover, this resistance provides an opportunity to identify new genes that, when disabled, could significantly enhance the effectiveness of Polycomb inhibitors. In the next phase of the project, we are optimizing and conducting this screening, thanks in part to the Hendriksz donation. We have just published the initial results of this project in the prestigious journal Cell Reports.”

The event was attended by the chairman of the AVL Board of Directors, the entire board of our foundation, and several invited guests.