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Antibacterial IgM is better at activating the complement system than IgG and the mechanism by which this occurs is different between these two types of antibodies. In addition, IgM can provide broader protection against different bacteria than IgG via a newly identified cross-reactivity mechanism.



On 20 February 2025, Aram Swinkels successfully defended his PhD from Utrecht University.


On 16 October, in the ‘Science Café’ at the RIVM, filled with eager scientists and researchers, a series early career research pitches were about to unfold. Each presenter had their unique story to tell, showcasing their innovative approaches to tackling some of the world’s most pressing research questions. At the end of the café the audience voted that Laura Derks of RIVM had won the NCOH Best Pitch Award.
NCOH Student Travel Grant
The NCOH awards a number of travel grants to PhD students of NCOH Partners selected to present their abstract at an international One Health-related academic conference.


Join the upcoming NCOH Annual Scientific Meeting in Amsterdam – an event with brimming scientific insights, a captivating PhD pitch competition, and valuable networking opportunities with fellow One Health enthusiasts.


‘Making connections’ was the overarching theme of the Netherlands Centre for One Health Science Café in the Van Swinderhuys on 9 November 2023 in Groningen. This year’s meeting was organised by the University of Groningen. After a warm welcome and introduction of Groningen Research by University of Groningen’s Bert Poolman, NCOH’s chair of the executive board Annemarie Rebel addressed the Science Café attendees whereby she underlined the importance of connecting the science at the Dutch top research institutes in the field of One Health.


Annette Westgeest of Leiden University Medical Center won the Science Café pitch award by audience vote with the pitch on her research. MRSA is commonly known as a deadly superbug. Generally, the bacteria are carried in the nose. The Netherlands has a low prevalence of MRSA due to the search and destroy strategy, but there are still unanswered questions. Westgeest focusses on narrowing down the vulnerable part of the population.


Beginning of this year the Executive Board was eagerly preparing a new application for the National Growth Fund, aimed at increasing the national preparedness for infectious disease outbreaks. These efforts were combined with Pandemic & Disaster Preparedness Centre (PDPC) and a joint application was submitted.