The extremely prestigious Dutch NWO/Spinoza Prize 2009 has been awarded to Prof. Albert van den Berg, Deputy Chair of the Lab on a Chip Editorial Board, for his key breakthroughs in the area of microfluidics and miniaturisation. The prize, awarded by the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) and the Spinoza committee, is the most celebrated Dutch award in science. The award consists of 2.5 million euros to freely devote to research and is awarded annually to scientists for outstanding, pioneering and inspiring scientific work within their field. 

Prof. van den Berg, of the University of Twente in the Netherlands, has been awarded this year's prize for his work on "the understanding of fluids in micro- and nanochannels, and the application of this knowledge to areas such as new medical equipment." His research encompasses the Lab on a Chip technologies, which are miniature microfluidic laboratories that fit completely within one microchip. Currently, the Dutch physicist is focusing on applying his work to medical applications. For example, he is presently working on fusing human cells on to chips for the purpose on testing new medicines. This innovative approach could lead to a substantial reduction in animal testing and dramatically reduce the amount of time needed to bring new medicines to market. He is also currently working on a novel method of testing for intestinal cancer called the 'nanopill'. 

The 'nanopill' works by detecting the presence of cancer-specific DNA within the intestines and allows intestinal cancer to be diagnosed at a much earlier stage. Prof. van den Berg also holds about 10 patents, showing the applicability of his work to real life problems, and has also established many spin-off companies as a result of his research. Medimate, one of these spin-off companies, produces chips which can measure the level of lithium in the blood of manic depressive patients. Prof. Albert van den Berg regularly publishes his high-impact research in Lab on a Chip, and the RSC and the Lab on a Chip Editorial Team extend their warm congratulations to him for this outstanding achievement.