The Dutch Lung Congress 2023 came to a successful conclusion on June 30th, leaving us with a satisfying sense of accomplishment. This annual event, organized by 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.

NRS extends its gratitude to the 26 esteemed speakers, as well as to the event's generous sponsors (Chiesi, AstraZeneca, Sanofi, Vertex, Vivisol, Resmed, Innoventiv and Teva) whose support made the event possible. Appreciation is also extended to the 136 enthusiastic participants who were dedicated to be part of the latest communication within lung research.

A special acknowledgment is reserved for the DLC organizing committee, consisting of Elin Kersten, Sami Simons, Marcel Veltkamp, Bas Holverda, Gimano Amatngalim, Peter Kunst, Emiel Rolink, Barbro Melgert, Abilash Ravi, and event planner Malou Meuffels, all working under the guidance of Prof. Janette Burgess. Their dedicated efforts culminated in a comprehensive and inspiring program that greatly contributed to the event's success.

If you missed the event, or want to revisit what happened, the LongFonds made a video that gives great overview of the event: Dutch Lung Congress 2023: de interessantste ontwikkelingen in longonderzoek

Celebrating Achievements

The DLC serves as more than just a platform for sharing and discussing science; it's also a space where we come together to commemorate the achievements of both senior and junior scientists.

The prestigious NRS Swierenga Medal Award 2023 went to Professor Pieter Hiemstra, Professor of Respiratory Cell Biology and Immunology at Leiden University Medical Center.

In addition, 10 Awards went to Young Investigators:

• Impact statement Award: Carmen de Jong. “Intrapleural fibrinolytics use in children with pleural empyema”Clinical
• Management Poster Award: Marc Oppelaar. “A Real-World Evaluation of Remote Monitoring in Cystic Fibrosis Care:a Mixed-Methods Multicentre Observational Study.”
• Clinical Future Perspectives Poster Award: Bernard Stikker. “Genetic variants linked to asthma enable risk prediction and offer newinsights into disease pathophysiology”
• Disease Underlying Mechanisms Poster Award: Tatiana Karp. “Seasonal variation in nasal epithelium gene expression”
• Modelling Respiratory Diseases Poster Award: Jelmer Vlasma “Cigarette smoking delays acute and resolving immune response against influenza infectionin mice”
• Chiesi Young Investigator Award: Pauline Kuks. “Cluster analysis to identify distinct clinical asthma phenotypes within ATLANTIS.”
• Chiesi Young Investigator Award-HighlyCommended:
  • Laura Houweling “The effect of the urban exposome on COVID-19 health outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis”
  • Stefan Neys “The fibrosis and angiogenesis inhibitor nintedanib represses antigen receptor signaling and downstreameffector functions in B and T cells”
  • Roy Woldhuis “Cellular senescence impacts regulators of ECM and contributes to ECM dysregulation in COPD patients”
  • Lianne Trap “Decoding the Genetic Predisposition to Asthma Using Epigenomics”

Here are some photos to remember to event: