4 A mix of surprise and amazement ran through Dennis Lamers when he first heard about a new technique for increasing or decreasing gene expression in microorganisms at last year’s European Congress on Biotechnology in Rotterdam. “What we do now is add or switch off genes. That’s like turning a lamp on and off”, Lamers explains. “This new technology can be compared to a dimmer. You gradually dial a gene’s activity up or down.” And that is a groundbreaking invention in the field of molecular biology. “It opens up huge new opportunities. At the same time, it is very complex and it’s not something you can just start applying yourself.” The example of dimmable genes nicely illustrates how Lamers can still be fascinated by new deve- lopments in his field. It’s one of the reasons he has enjoyed working as lecturer-researcher at HAN BioCentre for 20 years. In fact, he is the only employee who has been there from the very start. The Centre of Expertise in Applied Biosciences and Chemistry was established in 2005 at the initiative of Guido Matthee and Christien Lokman, who wanted to create more space for research assignments. Lamers: “The idea was to bring in real, hands-on research projects from companies so that students could conduct them alongside lecturer-researchers. This allowed them to work on something real, rather than doing a lab practical that ends up in the trash.” 20 years ago, that was an innovative way of thinking within higher education in the Netherlands. “We also had to push against the established order within education for quite a while. Our connection with the business community in particular led to questions being raised about our independence. But we persevered and became an example for other Centres of Expertise.” SMARTER TOGETHER Today, HAN BioCentre focuses on three main themes: biobased research, bioinformatics | data science and drug discovery. In particular, the Centre of Expertise specializes in the production of biobased raw materials based on fermentation, the development of separation methods for biorefinery and the development of new drugs that can be tested on kidney organoids. The research projects are done as much as possible in cooperation with companies active in the ‘biobased branch’. “By connecting research, education and industry, we are getting smarter together”, Lamers says. “Up-to-date knowledge flows into e- ducation more quickly, and companies can develop products based on our research that contribute to the transition toward a circular economy.” Since its founding, HAN BioCentre has grown from 4 to more than 20 people. Within its field, the Centre of Expertise also ranks among the best in the Ne- therlands, while it often remains invisible to the general public. “Many results stay under the radar due to confidentiality clauses, and the products based on our research are often semi-finished. Moreover, what we do is pioneering: we explore whether something is technically possible. Then comes the question of DENNIS LAMERS IS STILL FASCINATED BY NEW DEVELOPMENTS AFTER 20 YEARS OF HAN BIOCENTRE: “WE’VE BECOME AN EXAMPLE TO OTHERS” HAN BioCentre is 20 years old. Lecturer-researcher Dennis Lamers (47) has been part of the Centre of Expertise from the beginning. He talks about its origins, its valuable link to the industry and his own oil-producing yeast.
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