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Dear colleague, We are pleased to announce that the Third Dutch Ataxia Research Symposium (DARS) will take place on: Date: Wednesday, December 10, 2025Time: 9:30 AM – 5:30 PMLocation: LUMC, Leiden Registration:To attend, please register by filling out this form or via the QRcode below: https://forms.gle/Efy5MzgMy2hQ3f9Q7 Abstracts can be submitted to NeuroDLabLeiden@lumc.nl Deadline: October 31st… Read more: Registration open: Third Dutch Ataxia Research Symposium (DARS) 2025

We are happy to announce the third Dutch Ataxia Research Symposium (DARS) that will take place on December 10 in Leiden. We are very happy that David Pellerin has accepted to be our key note speaker to give an overview on SCA27b. If you want to be added to the email list, please send an… Read more: SAVE THE DATE: THIRD DUTCH ATAXIA RESEARCH SYMPOSIUM December 10 2025 Leiden

Gijs-Jan, Bas, and Bas attended the yearly MGC (Medical-Genetic Center South-West Netherlands) PhD retreat, a four-day meeting organized by and for PhD students of the Erasmus MC and LUMC (Leiden University Medical Center). This year, the MGC took place in Düsseldorf. There was a variety of keynote speakers invited who talked about neurocognitive studies on… Read more: MGC PhD retreat 2025

On the 19th and 20th of June, a few NeuroD group members attended the Dutch Neuroscience meeting. The Dutch Neuroscience Meeting covers research from various neuroscience disciplines, both on the molecular as well as the cognitive side. As the areas of research are quite diverse, there are many parallel sessions with different neuroscience topics to… Read more: The NeuroD group attended the Dutch Neuroscience Meeting 2025

The International FOXP1 conference was held on June 19 and 20 in the Leonardo Hotel in Ijmuiden, organized by Stichting Kind Beter and the International FOXP1 Foundation.   The event welcomed more than 200 attendees from around the globe, including 75 families, 30 researchers, 49 individuals with FOXP1 syndrome, and more than 30 siblings, for… Read more: FOXP1 conference

Willeke and Bas went to the AD/PD2024 conference in Lisbon starting on March 5th. This conference aims to share novel insights into the disease mechanisms and therapeutic innovations in Alzheimer’s Disease and Parkinson’s Disease. The first day was kicked off with a fireside chat with Michael J. Fox, who shared his experiences on living with… Read more: AD/PD2024 conference Lisbon

On Monday 29th January the CureQ consortium gathered for the first annual general assembly. The day kicked off with an overview of our progress over the year, sparkling lively discussions among the attendants. The morning session culminated with a captivating workshop on effective communication, which had us all stepping into each other’s shoes while discovering… Read more: CureQ consortium annual meeting

On September 21st, Elena Daoutsali defended her thesis: 3D modeling and RNA-based therapeutics for Dutch-type Cerebral Amyloid Angiopathy. She did very well! Afterwards, her achievements were celebrated with her family and friends, where some travelled all the way from Greece. Elena has been awarded a Dementia Fellowship from ZonMw and will be starting her new… Read more: Elena defended her thesis!

In the weekend of 24 June 2023 we went with (almost) all lab members for a NeuroD lab family weekend. Also partners and children joined, so we were with a big group. We rented a house in Ulvenhout and had nice food, games and quality time. On Saturday we went to a farm to do… Read more: NeuroD lab family weekend

Good news! Our research paper titled “Amyloid beta (Aβ) accumulations and enhanced forebrain neuronal development and neuronal network formation in cerebral organoids of Dutch-type Cerebral Amyloid Angiopathy patients” was accepted for publication in Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience. Willeke ordered a cake with one of the figures from the paper on it to celebrate with first… Read more: Time for cake!

Great news! The CureQ consortium has been granted by the NWO (Dutch Research Council) and started this month. The CureQ program focusses on a distinct group of dominantly inherited neurodegenerative disorders caused by a CAG repeat expansion within the relevant genes, including Huntington’s disease (HD) and various spinocerebellar ataxias (SCA). Over 5.5 million euro will… Read more: CureQ project has started

Ronald Buijsen is this year’s recipient of the Gewirtz Award for postdoctoral researchers and Young Industrial Professionals of the Oligonucleotide Therapeutics Society (OTS). He received the award for his contributions in the field of oligonucleotide therapeutics. The award is given in honor of Professor Alan Gewirtz, one of the founders of the oligonucleotide therapy field… Read more: Ronald won Gewritz Award

On Monday 3 October, the kick-off of our CureQ consortium was held: an introduction of all those involved who will work together over the next 5 years on predicting, delaying and curing the hereditary polyglutamine brain diseases Huntington, SCA1 and SCA3 (www.cureQ.nl). Researchers and neurologists from various Dutch universities, various HBO courses, ethicists, biotechnology companies,… Read more: CureQ consortium kick-off meeting

The first participant of the SCA7 study reported yesterday at our Radboudumc Expertise Center for Rare and Hereditary Movement Disorders. With this, we have officially started the research into the natural course and possible biomarkers in this disease! This is an important step towards the ultimate long-term goal: slow down, stop or prevent the disease!… Read more: SCA7 research started

Elena Daoutsali and Ronald Buijsen from the NeuroD research group were awarded the Sargenti Research Grant, organized by the Neuroscience Research Theme. The grant was for the field of neurodegenerative diseases and made possible through a donation from the legacy of mr. Sargenti to the Leiden University Fund. Together with the group of Saskia Lesnik… Read more: New grant: Sargenti Research Grant

As of 1 October, our group head, Willeke van Roon-Mom, has been appointed as Leiden professor of Human Genetics, in particular of neurodegenerative disorders! So we now have a real Professor in our group. “My entire scientific career I have been working on hereditary brain disorders that are caused by problems. Together with colleagues, I… Read more: Willeke van Roon-Mom appointed as Professor

After 4 years of hard work, our paper “Antisense oligonucleotide-induced amyloid precursor protein splicing modulation as a therapeutic approach for Dutch-type cerebral amyloid angiopathy” has been published in Nucleic Acid Therapeutics (DOI: 10.1089/nat.2021.0005). In this study we explored the use of an antisense oligonucleotide (AON) as a therapeutic approach for Dutch-type cerebral amyloid angiopathy (D-CAA), a… Read more: Antisense oligonucleotides as a therapy for Dutch-type Cerebral Amyloid Angiopathy (D-CAA) – New publication

On 1st of June 2021 we started a new research project on FOXP1 syndrome. To do most of the work in this project Elena Daoutsali came back to us, after she left when her PhD period was finished. Good to have her back! Forkhead-box protein P1 (FOXP1) is part of the forkhead-box family of transcription… Read more: New research project on FOXP1 syndrome

On Rare Disease day, 28th of February, last year, Willeke van Roon-Mom, along with others in the LUMC, Radboudumc and Erasmus MC started the Dutch Center for RNA Therapeutics (DCRT). After exactly 1 year, the website www.rnatherapy.nl was launched on which information can be found about DCRT and updates will be posted on things going… Read more: Dutch Center for RNA Therapeutics

Researchers from the NeuroD group in collaboration with other participants from an EU COST Action summarise the latest advances in delivery of RNA therapies. Drugs that target RNA were considered a curiosity until recently, used mainly in research in rare diseases and personalised therapies. However, this new research field has registered a boost in the… Read more: Summary latest advances in delivery of RNA therapies