The field of anatomy is far from dusty and outdated. Ellen de Visser’s recent article in the Science section of Volkskrant highlights several groundbreaking discoveries from our research group at Amsterdam UMC. Among these is the identification of an additional set of salivary glands by Matthijs Valstar, Wouter Vogel, showcasing the continual advancements in anatomical science.

Unveiling the Mysteries of Fetal Development

Despite the annual performance of 280 million pregnancy ultrasounds, the true appearance of a human fetus has remained largely unknown. This gap is being bridged by our dedicated team of researchers and PhD students, including Yousif Dawood, Marieke Buijtendijk, Daniël Docter, Sophie Visser, Wenjing Gou, Puck Mulder, and Karl Jacobs from Amsterdam UMC, as well as Marcella Zijta and Marius Zuidweg from Erasmus MC. Their work aims to provide clearer insights into fetal development.

Collaboration and Pride in Anatomical Research

Ronald Bleys, who serves on the NAV board alongside Dr. de Bakker, also contributed to the article. Our research group’s efforts highlight the dynamic and collaborative nature of anatomical research in the Netherlands.

Highlighted Publications

Key articles cited in the Volkskrant piece include:

• The Tubarial Salivary Glands: Valstar MH et al., Radiotherapy and Oncology (2021) DOI
• The Dutch Fetal Biobank: Dawood Y et al., Developmental Cell (2023) DOI
• Accuracy of ultrasound: Buijtendijk MFJ et al., Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (2024) DOI
• Micro-CT imaging human embryo: Dawood Y, de Bakker BS, Radiology (2020) DOI
• The Pronephros: de Bakker BS et al., Integr Comp Biol (2019) DOI

Those interested in supporting our groundbreaking work can learn more at LTL Miracles

The complete online article (in Dutch) can be found here.

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