Carl Figdor, part-time professor in biophysics at the UT and scientific director of the Nijmegen Center for Molecular Life Sciences is one of the four Dutch top researchers who will receive NWO's Spinoza prize 2006.
Cell biologist and immunologist Figdor, employed part-time by the physical engineering group of the faculty of Science & Technology, is the third UT professor - after physicists Ad Lagendijk (2004) and Detlef Lohse (2005) - to receive this prestigious Dutch scientific award. It comes with a sum of a million and a half euros, to be spent on research of the recipient's choice.
The other three Spinoza winners are Professors Jozien Bensing (clinical psychologist, Utrecht), Ben Scheres (molecular geneticist, Utrecht) and Jan Zaanen (physicist, Leiden). NWO, the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research, considers the Spinoza prize to be its first front of attack. `Through it we invest in the best science our country has to offer,' explains NWO Director Peter Nijkamp, whose announcement claimed that knowledge valorization is more than ever pressuring scholarly work. The four laureates rank among the world's top scientists, and know how to inspire young researchers. This is the twelfth occasion on which the Spinoza Prizes have been awarded. The official presentation will take place on Wednesday, November 29, 2006.
The jury report names Carl Figdor as one of the world leaders in the area of cancer immunotherapy. Not only does he research the cell biology, but he is always trying to translate his findings to potential medical applications. In 2000 Figdor discovered the DC-SIGN receptor protein. This protein plays an important part in binding and absorbing the HIV-1 virus into dendritic cells, cells which are invaluable for an adequate defense. His first two publications in Cell on this topic have been cited over a thousand times and formed the basis for about four hundred articles. Figdor pioneered the use of denditric cell therapy on patients. This procedure entails modifying dendritic cells in a laboratory such that the patient's immune system can learn to recognize tumor cells. Once these cells are returned to the patient, they will search and attack the tumor. But in half the cases, the dendritic cells do not accomplish that goal. The scientific challenge is in improving this costly cell therapy, Figdor says. He considers this prize to be recognition of his field.
Apart from just under 250 publications and more than twenty contributions to books and proceedings, the immunologist holds eleven patents. He is also an oft-requested speaker at conferences. According to the jury, his presentations are always original, entertaining and clear.
Trans. Jeroen Latour
