This year’s edition of the annual public lecture Lof der Geneeskunst focused on DNA. Three leading researchers from Erasmus University Rotterdam and Erasmus MC each offered their own perspective. ‘A great deal has changed since the human genome was first presented at the White House in 2000.’
‘Science begins with passion.’ With these words, Executive Board member Joke Hendriks opened Lof der Geneeskunst 2026. That passion was reflected in the words of the three researchers who took the stage this year: Hub Zwart, Ype Elgersma and Sam Riedijk.
‘Today’s speakers offer philosophical, medical and societal perspectives on DNA research,’ Hendriks explained. ‘They will show how DNA research has become increasingly embedded in Erasmus MC and society over the past decades. It is a source of knowledge that connects an ever-growing number of disciplines.’
Want to watch Lof der Geneeskunst 2026? You can watch the livestream recording here.
The philosophical perspective
‘Know thyself’ was the message of the ancient Greek Oracle of Delphi. It was also the promise made when the Human Genome Project was presented to the world from the White House in 2000. According to Hub Zwart, that promise has not been entirely fulfilled.
‘As is often the case with innovation, there is first a peak of inflated expectations, followed by a trough of disillusionment, before we eventually reach a plateau of productivity.’
‘Since that day in 2000, DNA research has fundamentally transformed not only medicine but also philosophy,’ says Zwart. However, he believes the Human Genome Project has not fully lived up to its original promise. ‘Our DNA is not our destiny. Things have turned out to be more complicated than we thought.’
He quotes a few lines from a poem by Jean Pierre Rawie:
‘My fate, and everything I do,
and everywhere I go or stand,
suddenly turn out to be largely
determined by genetics.’
‘A beautiful poem,’ Zwart concludes, ‘but we are not our genome. We are the result of interactions between our genome, our environment and our culture. Human existence is complex. We are a process.’
Lof der Geneeskunst 2026
The future of DNA technology was also explored from both medical and societal perspectives during Lof der Geneeskunst.
Professor Ype Elgersma demonstrated how new genetic therapies offer hope to people with rare hereditary disorders. Through the story of Inti, a girl with a unique genetic mutation, he explained how researchers are developing ‘genetic patches’ to correct errors in DNA.
Medical psychologist Sam Riedijk highlighted the ethical and societal questions raised by these developments. What if we could modify the DNA of future generations? And who gets to decide where the boundaries lie? Through her DNA Dialogues initiative, she involves members of the public in these important decisions.
Both contributions highlighted not only the enormous potential of genetic technology but also the importance of a broad societal conversation about its future.
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