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The pitches at the Science Café

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.

First up was Anne Rittscher-Fog from UU. Anne captivated the audience with her research on surveillance for unknown pathogens. In her pitch ‘Innovative Methods of Environmental Surveillance for Emerging Pathogens’, she explained how the interaction between wildlife and livestock could be monitored using environmental DNA (eDNA) as a signaling tool. This innovative approach promised to revolutionize how we detect and respond to emerging diseases. Her research is part of the ZonMW project.

Next, Matteo Iervolino from Erasmus MC took the stage with his pitch:’ Investigating the impact of highly pathogenic avian influenza on Antarctic wildlife – A report from the Australis 2024 expedition’. He shared his findings about Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI), which had recently been discovered on Antarctica. Matteo’s team had conducted analyses aboard their research ship, revealing the virus’s impact on species like the skua and the Adélie penguin. And the implications for Antarctic biodiversity are big.

Then came Laura Derks from RIVM, whose pitch would be voted the best pitch award at the end. Laura’s pitch, titled “Forest to Farm,” delved into the enduring threat of foxes to public health. She painted a vivid picture of Reinard de Vos, as the embodiment of evil, and explained how foxes could still spread the tapeworm parasite, Echinococcus multilocularis, to humans through contaminated berries. Laura found that 4.5% of commercially grown berries in the researched sites could be infected.

Rosalie Sterenborg from AIOS/Radboud UMC followed with her presentation: ‘One Health in Research on Antimicrobial Resistance: One for All, All for Human?’ She challenged the audience to rethink the anthropocentric approach to current AMR research, also considering humans, animals, and the environment.

Myrthe Willemsen from UMCU/UU then explored the cat-and-mouse game between viruses and vaccines. She discussed in her pitch ‘The effect of vaccination on the speed of antigenic evolution of influenza’ how vaccination could either slow down or speed up the evolution of viruses through random mutations and antigenic responses. Myrthe’s findings suggested that vaccination did not significantly affect the antigenic revolution of viruses, sparking lively discussions among the audience.

Paul Stege from Wageningen University & Research introduced his innovative capture-based surveillance of pathogens in his pitch ‘CArP – CApture-based surveillance of Pathogens in complex matrices’. Using a selective sequencing approach, Paul demonstrated how AMR could be used as bait to capture and identify pathogens more efficiently. His method showed great potential for improving pathogen surveillance and understanding species origins.

Sophia Dollman from RIVM addressed the manure and nitrogen crisis in areas with high population density. In her pitch ‘Manure – A valuable nutrient resource or a risk to public health?’ she highlighted the dual nature of manure as both a nutrient resource and a public health risk, with 75,000 tons of manure posing a nuisance and potential zoonotic pathogen threat. Sophia’s research emphasized the need for better management strategies to mitigate these risks.

Finally, Lars Hofstede from RUG presented his intriguing findings for the SARS-CoV-2  spike protein and discovered filamentous rings of the virus, for which Lars has developed an assay. While the impact of these rings on SARS-CoV-2 is still unknown, Lars’s work is looking into new avenues for research to understanding the virus.

All together the pitches gave a good insight in some of the research from early career researchers. However, it was Laura Derks who took home the best pitch award, her compelling narrative and impactful research leaving a lasting impression on everyone present.