Veni grant for Elise Laetz

Dr. Elise J. Laetz from GELIFES - GREEN has been awarded a Veni grant from the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO). With the Veni grant, which has a maximum value of EUR 250,000, junior researchers can further develop their own research ideas over a three-year period.

Examining how solar-powered slugs steal chloroplasts and survive starvation

Solar-powered sea slugs are an evolutionary enigma. They acquire the ability to photosynthesize by stealing functional chloroplasts from algae. The energy produced allows them to withstand extended starvation. This research unravels the mechanisms behind this ability by examining chloroplast sequestration, retention and the energetic tradeoffs associated with hosting foreign organelles.