Dutch Lung Congress

The Dutch Lung Congress is an annual Congress organized by the NRS, in collaboration with NVALT, Longfonds, SKL and Stichting Astma Bestrijding aims to present the cutting-edge developments in lung science to individuals involved in pulmonary research and foster cross-disciplinary conversations to facilitate novel scientific prospects.

Looking back at DLC 2024..

The Dutch Lung Congress 2024 wrapped up successfully on June 28th, leaving attendees inspired and accomplished. This annual event, organized by NRS in partnership with NVALT, Longfonds, SKL, and Stichting Astma Bestrijding, continues to showcase the latest advancements in lung science to professionals in pulmonary research, promoting interdisciplinary discussions that open up new scientific opportunities.

Program Day 1 (27 June)

Program Day 2 (28 June)

The two-day program began with a plenary session on AI possibilities and challenges in the respiratory field and concluded with a plenary session on Metabolome & immune system intersection. It included six parallel sessions covering themes such as Pulmonary Fibrosis, Prediction of treatment responses in lung diseases, Career Development in the Respiratory Field, Pulmonary Disorders: Transition from Childhood to Adulthood, Novel Cell Types in Lung Diseases and a reports and discussion on the various projections within the National Program Lung Research (NPL) 2.0. Highlights from the many sessions are summarized in this short video (video credits: Longfonds).

NRS expresses its gratitude to the 23 clinical and translational speakers and the event's generous sponsors, including Chiesi, AstraZeneca, Sanofi, Vertex, and GSK, whose support made the event possible. Appreciation is also extended to the 125 enthusiastic participants who engaged with the latest advancements in lung research.

Apart from Scientific sessions, this year’s DLC also included two networking events. The NRS Mentorship Breakfast attracted 22 mentors and mentees that were spread over different tables to discuss various career related topics over a delicious breakfast buffet. The Evening Social Activity, organized by the NRS Young Investigator Board and generously sponsored by the Stichting Astma Bestrijding, attracted 36 enthusiastic contestants that worked in groups to solve the riddles created by an art thief locked in a wooden box. Both social events were highly rated by participants.

Special thanks go to the DLC organizing committee members Bas Holverda, Stefan Prekovic, Sami Simons, Marcel Veltkamp, Elin Kersten, Abilash Ravi, and event planner Malou Meuffels, all under the leadership of Prof. Janette Burgess. Their dedicated efforts resulted in a comprehensive and inspiring program that significantly contributed to the event's success.

Awards and Recognition

The DLC is more than a platform for sharing and discussing science; it is a venue for celebrating the achievements of both senior and junior scientists.

NRS Swierenga Penning Award

• Professor Wim Timens and Professor Marjolein Drent received the prestigious NRS Swierenga Penning Award for their significant contributions to lung research.

Longfonds Sterk Participatie Prijs (€5,000 prize)

• Delian Hofman was honored with the Longfonds Sterk Participatie Prijs for her exceptional work in patient engagement and participation in lung health initiatives.

DLC Poster Awards

The DLC Poster Awards recognized outstanding research presented in four themes:

Poster theme 1  Respiratory Infections and Cystic Fibrosis

• Bram Bosch, "Label-free prediction of submerged primary airway epithelial cell staining"

Poster theme 2  Modeling and Monitoring Lung Diseases

• Floor Benthem, "Establishing human and murine cultures to study pulmonary neuroendocrine cells in pediatric lung diseases"

Poster theme 3  COPD

• Lars Dijk, "Prevalence of treatable traits in patients with obstructive lung disease in Dutch primary care"

Poster theme 4  Asthma and Breathlessness

• Roos Verstegen "Dietary fructo-oligosaccharides lower activated Th2-Th1 cell ratio and suppress type 2 inflammation in house-dust-mite allergic mice"

Impact Statement Award

• The Impact Statement Award was presented to Sem Koornneef for his work on "Inhalation therapy with vitamin A: a promising new strategy for bronchopulmonary dysplasia prevention?"

GSK Sparrow Award

• Sonja van Scheijen won the GSK Sparrow Award, which includes €2,000 for a travel internship, individual mentorship with an expert of their choice, and participation in the expert panel for GSK Sparrow 2025.

Chiesi Young Investigator Award (€3,000 prize)

• Sacha Spelier from Wilhelmina University Medical Center, Utrecht, received €3,000 for her project on "Organoid-guided synergistic treatment of minimal function CFTR mutations with CFTR modulators, roflumilast, and simvastatin: a personalized approach." The expert panel praised her clear explanation of the journey from bench to bedside and her impressive out-of-the-box approach.

Chiesi Young Investigator Award- Highly Commended Recipients (€400 prize):

• Glenn van Hulst, Liege “Single-cell proteomics and transcriptomics resolve eosinopoiesis and the role of IL-5 in eosinophil lineage transit amplification.”
• Julia Scott, Utrecht “Cohesin-STAG2 controls cell fate decisions via pioneer factor FOXA2 in lung cancer”
• Li Jia, Leiden “Development of structural and immune cell in the fetal lung”
• Elise Slob, Amsterdam “ADRB2 genotype-guided treatment for childhood asthma: an individual patient data meta-analysis of the PACT and PUFFIN trial”
• Daphne Peerlings, Maastricht “Longitudinal follow-up of spirometry parameters in patients with COPD during pulmonary rehabilitation”

Here are some photos to remember to event: 

We thank our Sponsors for their generous support, making this event possible: