Emma Moonen and Joric Oude Vrielink receive personal funding from NWO

Two of our researchers, Emma Moonen and Joric Oude Vrielink, have been appointed as new Faculty of Impact fellows. With the Faculty of Impact the selected researchers with entrepreneurial ambitions will receive two years of intensive and personal guidance from experts in entrepreneurship, intellectual property and investment. They keep (or get) an appointment at their university for that period, but are exempted from administrative and teaching obligations. This gives them time and space to take their innovation into the world.

Sweat sensing for nonivasive health monitoring

Emma Moonen has developed a proof-of-concept device that can measure biomarker concentrations noninvasively and frequently in sweat of individuals in resting state by using discretised microfluidics. Uniquely, the device can handle extremely low sweat rates, which opens possibilities for the use of sweat as a source for clinical information. The ability to analyse sweat using the skin-attached device eliminates the use of blood, is patient-friendly, simplifies workflows of healthcare professionals, and reduces the sample-to-answer time. The incorporation of different biomarker sensors in the device opens a wide field of applications with a massive potential impact on health monitoring. Read more on the research of Emma.

CT-guided robotic biopsy for the diagnosis of early-stage lung cancer

Lung cancer claims of any type of cancer the highest number of lives globally, accounting for 260.000 deaths in Europe and 1.8m deaths worldwide. Late detection and suboptimal treatments contribute significantly to this. Following detection, a tissue biopsy is needed for confirming the cancer’s presence and type, which is pivotal for devising tailored treatment plans. Yet, the success rate of biopsies decreases considerably from about 96% to as low as 52% at early stages. To address this challenge, Joric Oude Vrielink is developing technology that aids interventional radiologists in accurately positioning needles during patient respiration.

Faculty of Impact

One of the ambitions of the Netherlands is to ensure that scientific research is used to address societal issues and realise economic growth. Many scientific discoveries do not reach the market, partly because researchers often lack the experience and knowledge needed to make an innovation market-ready and set up a commercial organisation. Therefore, the Faculty of Impact offers an intensive, two-year programme for scientists who want to make an impact with their research and start their own business. More information: https://www.nwo.nl/en/researchprogrammes/faculty-of-impact