ISCOMS 2026

The research day aimed to enhance participants’ research skills. With practical, hands-on masterclasses and insightful lectures participants pushed their boundaries, explored the unknown, and stimulated their curiosity.

The first day of the congress focused on Artificial Intelligence, groundbreaking techniques and innovations within the biomedical world. We live in a time when innovations are progressing faster than ever, and AI is rapidly emerging. On this day, we aimed to introduce participants to these innovations, while also encouraging them to consider how humans and technology can collaborate in the most optimal way.

The second day of the congress focused on molecular biology, pharmacology, and biomedical research. The day delved into what happens at the molecular level and how we can apply this knowledge in practice. With a deeper understanding of these underlying processes, scientists and doctors can develop more targeted treatments, design medications, and enable innovative therapies.

On the third and final day of the congress, the aim was to focus on global health and equality in healthcare. There remains a significant global disparity in access to healthcare. Whether it concerns abundant or limited resources, or the differences in healthcare and research between men and women, not everyone is still afforded the same opportunity for good health. We strive for a world where every patient, regardless of their background, gender, or place of birth, has equal access to high-quality care, prevention, and treatment.

As ISCOMS, we aimed to contribute to a sustainable world where no one is excluded.

Liesbeth Veenhoff is a Professor of Cellular Biochemistry at the European Research Institute for the Biology of Ageing (ERIBA) at the UMCG. She leads a research group and is a teacher and mentor in biomedical-oriented research programs at the University of Groningen. 

I am looking forward to meeting you at the research day of ISOMS 2026!

Let me introduce myself: My academic career began with a PhD in enzymology from the University of Groningen in the Netherlands, followed by postdoctoral training at Rockefeller University in New York, USA, where I studied the structure and function of the Nuclear Pore Complex. Nuclear pore complexes are the sole transport channels to the cell nucleus, and their function is essential for all eukaryotic life. Supported by Veni, Vidi, and Vici personal fellowships, I developed our research lines at ERIBA, aiming to understand the role of Nuclear Pore Complexes in ageing. Assembling a new Nuclear Pore Complex, composed of around 550 subunits, is a major challenge, and we found that this process fails more frequently in aged cells. Among the challenges in Nuclear Pore Complex assembly is the surveillance of their intrinsically disordered proteins. These proteins lack a stable structure and, somewhat analogous to the spontaneous formation of oil droplets in water, can form protein droplets inside the cell, known as condensates. Over the past 15 years, from the work of many researchers, it has become clear that intrinsically disordered proteins and their ability to form condensates are important across the full breadth of biological processes and are therefore broadly linked to ageing and disease. Together with a team of students, researchers, technicians and national and international collaborators, we aim to contribute to this emerging field using biochemical and cell biological methods. We believe that investing in such fundamental knowledge lays the foundation for the medicines of the future.

Wiro Niessen is Dean of the Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Groningen, and board member of University Medical Center Groningen since February 2023. He is also a professor in AI in medical imaging and health. He has a background in physics and medical imaging, obtaining his MSc and PhD at Utrecht University.
Part of this MSc/PhD trajectory was carried out at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and Yale University, respectively. He previously worked at Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, and Delft University of Technology, leading a large research group on biomedical image analysis.
His research interests are in the development, validation and responsible implementation of AI in health. In this domain, he has primarily worked in the field of medical imaging, imaging genetics and computer-aided interventions. He supervised more than 60 PhD students in these fields. In 2023, he was named most influential researcher in Radiology in Europe by AuntMinnie. Wiro Niessen is fellow and, from 2016-2019 was president of the MICCAI Society, the premier international society in medical image computing and computer-assisted interventions.
From 2020-2023, Wiro Niessen was CTO and board member of Health-RI, an initiative which aims to develop a national health data infrastructure for reuse of data for research and innovation; Health RI received a 69 MEuro Innovation grant from the Dutch government in 2021.
In 2015 he received the Simon Stevin award, the largest prize in Applied Sciences in the Netherlands. In 2005 he was elected to the Dutch Young Academy and in 2017 he was elected to the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences. In 2023 he was elected to the Netherlands Academy of Engineering.
In 2012 Wiro Niessen founded Quantib, an AI company in medical imaging, where he acted as scientific lead until 2022. Quantib currently employs about 50, and has multiple FDA approved products in MR brain image analysis, and MR prostate image analysis. In January 2022 Quantib was acquired by Rad Net, the largest provider of outpatient radiological imaging services in the US.

Since mid 2022, Joost Frenken is the Dean of the Faculty of Science and Engineering and a professor of Physics at the University of Groningen. Before that, he was the (first) director of the Advanced Research Center for Nanolithography (ARCNL) in Amsterdam and a professor of Physics at both universities in Amsterdam (UvA and VU). Prior to the start of ARCNL, Frenken was a professor of Physics at the Kamerlingh Onnes Laboratory of Leiden University.

Frenken’s scientific expertise is in the atomic-scale structure, diffusion, chemical reactions, phase transitions and friction phenomena at surfaces and interfaces, investigated with advanced instruments, many of which were developed under his supervision. His achievements have been recognized in several research awards and a membership of the KNAW, The Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Frenken has (co)-initiated two companies, Leiden Probe Microscopy BV and Applied Nanolayers BV.

Prof. Barbara Horváth MD PhD is a dermatologist and the Chair of the department of Dermatology at the University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG) since 2019. She is also the head of the Center of Expertise for Blistering Diseases, a nationally (NFU) and internationally (ERN-SKIN) recognised center of excellence within the Netherlands.

Prof. Horváth completed her medical training at Semmelweis University in Budapest, Hungary, where she also pursued her PhD in the department of Genetics, Cell- and Immunobiology. In 2008, she joined the UMCG as a staff member in the department of Dermatology. Between 2012 and 2021, she led the national residency training programme in dermatology in the Netherlands.

Her primary areas of expertise and research focus on autoimmune blistering diseases (AIBDs), with a particular emphasis on the pathomechanisms and emerging therapies for pemphigus and pemphigoid disorders. In addition, she conducts clinical, epidemiological, and translational research on hidradenitis suppurativa (HS).

Prof. Horváth is an active member of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (EADV) task forces on Autoimmune Blistering Diseases. Furthermore, she also serves on the board of the European Reference Network on rare diseases.

In the academic publishing realm, Prof. Horváth is an associate editor of the British Journal of Dermatology and has contributed extensively to the field through numerous peer-reviewed articles and book chapters. She is also the editor of the textbook Autoimmune Bullous Disease.

Professor Ellen Nollen holds a Rosalind Franklin Fellowship at the Department of Ageing at ERIBA, where she studies the molecular basis of Parkinson’s disease and other ageing-associated neurodegenerative diseases. Her research focuses on protein aggregation and the regulation of toxic protein aggregation in ageing-related diseases.

In 2011, she was awarded an ERC Starting Grant for her project on protein damage control. That same year, she was named an EMBO Young Investigator, and in 2007, she received the Alfred Tissières Young Investigator Award.

Previously, Professor Nollen worked as a postdoctoral fellow at the Hubrecht Laboratory, Utrecht, under supervision of Professor Ronald Plasterk, and at Northwestern University, USA, under supervision of Professor Rick Morimoto. She earned her PhD in 2000 at the University of Groningen, focusing on Hsp70 chaperone functions in stressed cells.

As Group Leader of the Laboratory of Molecular Neurobiology of Ageing, Professor Nollen continues her pioneering work on protein aggregation, neurodegeneration, and ageing, using C. elegans models to uncover insights for potential therapies.

Professor Stefan Berger is an expert in Internal Medicine and Transplantation Nephrology at the University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG). He is a leading figure in the field of kidney and pancreas transplantation. His research and clinical work focus on complement immunology, immunosuppression, and transplantation in elderly patients, areas in which he has gained significant expertise.

As Chair of the Department of Internal Medicine, Professor Berger plays a pivotal role in shaping the direction of clinical care and research. In addition, he serves as a Board Member of the UMCG Comprehensive Transplant Center and is the chair of the Supervisory Board of the Dutch Transplant Foundation, further contributing to the development of transplantation science and practice in the Netherlands.

Professor Berger is dedicated to advancing the field through his involvement in clinical trials and his contributions to improving patient outcomes in kidney and pancreas transplantation. His academic work has a significant impact on understanding the immunological mechanisms underlying transplant rejection and the role of immunosuppression in transplantation. His commitment to exploring new treatment options, especially in older transplant recipients, has garnered international recognition.

Throughout his career, Professor Berger has mentored numerous PhD candidates and continues to inspire the next generation of medical professionals and researchers in the field of transplantation nephrology.

Adriaan Voors is Professor of Cardiology with a particular focus on heart failure. He serves as Director of the Heart Failure Clinic within the Department of Cardiology at the University Medical Center Groningen. Professor Voors currently supervises approximately 20 PhD candidates.

The primary aim of his research team is to deepen the understanding of the pathophysiology of specific subgroups of patients with heart failure. By analysing data from large patient cohorts and comparing patterns of circulating proteins and genetic markers across distinct heart failure phenotypes, his group generates novel insights into disease mechanisms. Ultimately, this work contributes to the development of more targeted and effective treatment strategies.

Since 2024, Professor Voors has also been responsible for the scientific education of medical students during the Bachelor phase at the University of Groningen.

In addition to his academic and educational roles, Professor Voors has been actively involved as a principal investigator, executive committee member, or steering committee member in approximately 60 clinical trials focusing on innovative therapies for both acute and chronic heart failure. He served as co-chair of the 2016 ESC Heart Failure Guidelines.

Professor Voors has (co-)authored nearly 1,000 peer-reviewed publications, as well as several books and book chapters. His work has been cited more than 100,000 times, reflecting his significant impact on the field of cardiology.

Lina Albakri MD is a medical doctor and PhD candidate at the Department of Neurosurgery at the University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG), the Netherlands. Her research focuses on the pathophysiology of tinnitus, with a particular interest in understanding its underlying mechanisms and its relationship to hearing loss.

In addition to fundamental research, she investigates tinnitus and hearing loss as potential complications of neurosurgical procedures, specifically microvascular decompression (Jannetta surgery) used in the treatment of neurovascular compression syndromes such as hemifacial spasm and trigeminal neuralgia. Her work aims to bridge clinical practice and translational neuroscience to improve patient outcomes.

Originally from Saudi Arabia, Albakri MD moved to the Netherlands ten years ago to pursue her medical education. After completing her medical degree, she immediately began her PhD trajectory at the UMCG. She will start working as a resident (ANIOS) at the Department of Neurosurgery this year, with the ambition of becoming a neurosurgeon while continuing her academic research.

Albakri MD is deeply passionate about neurosurgery and scientific research, and she is committed to advancing the understanding of neurological disorders through both clinical and experimental work.

Fifth-year medical student at the University of Groningen

Roos Schoenmakers, a fifth-year medical student at the University of Groningen, will serve as a jury member at ISCOMS 2026 this year. Two years ago, she was on the other side herself, together with her fellow board members and the organising committee, she organised an edition of ISCOMS centred around the theme of Future Medicine.

She looks back on that remarkable week with great enthusiasm:
“When I reflect on it, I see a lively week filled with energetic and curious individuals, all passionately committed to the future of biomedical science – across boundaries and disciplines. Alongside the strong educational programme, it was also a place where meaningful connections were made and lasting friendships were formed. I am confident that the coming edition will once again bring something truly special.”

With these memories in mind, Roos is excited to return in a new role and contribute meaningfully to this year’s jury.