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In the Spotlight – meet the faces behind our community
Within the Radboudumc Community for Infectious Diseases, dozens of passionate researchers, healthcare professionals and support staff work daily to combat infectious diseases. Behind every project, discovery and collaboration lies a personal story – a motivation, a passion, an ambition.
With our section "In the Spotlight" we give the floor to someone from our community a few times a year. Who are they, what moves them, and what are they proud of? In a short and personal interview, we get to know the people behind the work better.
Be inspired by their stories.
RCI in the spotlight June 2025 “Laura de Vries”
Can you briefly describe what your work entails? If you had to pitch your work in one sentence, how would it sound?
I study how malaria parasites adapt their metabolism to survive in both humans and Anopheles mosquitoes, where parasites must navigate different nutrient environments while competing with the mosquito’s own reproductive needs—a dynamic I find very fascinating.
What motivates you in your work?
I get motivated by the excitement of new ideas and hypotheses, unexpected results, and those satisfying moments when an experiment finally works. I also love seeing the enthusiasm and successes of the PhD students I mentor.
What is the biggest challenge in your work or team at the moment?
One of the challenges in my work is demonstrating clear mechanistic links behind observed phenotypes. Since we work with live mosquitoes that have their own metabolism, and in vitro systems of transmission stages of the parasite are not widely established in the field, it makes it harder to dissect complex interactions.
What is a recent insight or success that you would like to share?
We’ve performed the first adult Anopheles mosquito injections in the lab to knockdown gene expression. I’m now excited to explore this approach further including in other mosquito life cycle stages (larvae and pupae) and investigate the effects of altering mosquito metabolism.
Which development in your field do you follow with extra interest?
Instead of focusing solely on insecticides to kill mosquitoes or treating patients with antimalarial drugs, my previous postdoc lab at Harvard explored a novel approach—using antimalarial drugs to ‘cure’ mosquitoes of malaria parasites. It’s an exciting and promising strategy that’s still being developed and could offer a new angle in malaria control.
In what way can RCI support you (even better)?
I’d really value support in career development and grant writing, especially through mentorship and feedback on proposals. Having access to guidance from various senior researchers and support for early-career academics would be valuable to build my research career.
Fun question: What do you like to do most when you are not working?
When I’m not working, I love birding – spotting Bluethroats and Ruby-throated hummingbirds is a highlight for me. I also enjoy hiking and playing board or card games. Catan and Wingspan (yes, I really like birds) are favorites, but I’m always up for any game that brings people together.
