Marten was awarded the prestigious Vidi grant from NWO-ENW (Science) panel. With this work, Marten will expand his research team to investigate the roles of MAFs in macrophages.

Macrophages are key inflammatory cells present in all our tissues. Hoeksema previously discovered that the binding of MAF proteins to DNA is crucial for activating inflammatory genes in macrophages. However, how these inflammatory programs are initiated remains unclear. In this project, Hoeksema aims to identify which MAF proteins drive excessive inflammation. By specifically targeting these MAF proteins, it may become possible to regulate macrophage responses and counteract inflammatory diseases.