Large NWO grants for Medical Delta researchers

Today, the NWO awarded large grants within the framework of the Dutch Research Agenda (NWA). Four successful research projects are linked to Medical Delta scientific programs. The projects aim to gain more insight into (knee) arthrosis, atrial fibrillation and skin diseases.

Grant for research on healthy load for osteoarthritis

In 'The LoaD project: healthy loading to tackle osteoarthritis', researchers from medical centres, universities of technology, universities of applied sciences and companies are working together to find out what the healthy loading is for an individual patient with knee osteoarthritis and how patients can be guided to take healthy exercise. Secretary is Prof. Dr. Gerjo van Osch (Erasmus MC, TU Delft), Medical Delta professor and one of the Scientific Leaders of the Medical Delta Regenerative Medicine 4D scientific program.

Osteoarthritis is a painful, disabling joint disease that affects millions of people and for which there is no curative treatment. Patients are encouraged to keep moving, but the optimal joint loading for the individual patient is unknown. With the awarded grant, the consortium wants to gain more insight into this. With the acquired knowledge, personalised support strategies will be developed for use in daily life.

The project has been awarded € 8.8 million. Another €1 million will come from co-funding by companies and social partners such as sports associations and patient organisations.

Research award for triggers of atrial fibrillation

The CIRCULAR research project has been awarded € 4.6 million. A consortium led by investigator Prof. Dr. Bianca Brundel (Amsterdam UMC, one of the Scientific Leaders of the Medical Delta Cardiac Arrhythmia Lab) is investigating five possible triggers for atrial fibrillation.

The most common cardiac arrhythmia, atrial fibrillation, is difficult to detect and treat. The reason for this is the lack of understanding of the underlying molecular mechanism. Through citizen science, the five most commonly reported triggers for atrial fibrillation have been collected. Together with patients, researchers and doctors, these triggers will be further investigated, with experimental research helping to map the mechanism. This knowledge is essential for discovering new drug targets and bio-markers for diagnostics. Together, they will test new medicines targeted at these triggers. The approach is special because of the use of animal-free systems for circular research in cooperation with patients.

Large grant for research into skin diseases

Under the name Next generation immunodermatology (NGID), a broad consortium is investigating chronic inflammatory skin diseases. Several researchers from the Medical Delta AI for Computational Life Sciences program are involved, for example by using AI for biomarker detection.

More than 2.5 million Dutch people suffer from chronic inflammatory skin diseases. These diseases are often not life-threatening, but the personal consequences and social costs are very high. The biggest problem is that treatments often do not work sufficiently well. To change this, the research consortium wants to learn more about which treatment is best for which patient. Therefore, six skin diseases will be examined in great detail in this project. With this information, a patient-specific fingerprint of the disease will be made, which will determine which treatment is best for each individual patient. The project has been awarded €10 million.

Research into the application of living cartilage implants receives subsidy

Over 1.5 million people in the Netherlands suffer from arthrosis - a degenerative disorder of the joints. For many osteoarthritis patients, there is currently no treatment that can slow down or cure the disease process. They therefore suffer from pain and movement limitations during everyday activities.

Various Medical Delta researchers from the Medical Delta Regenerative Medicine 4D programme are involved in the Large-Scale Neo-Cartilage Engineering: Regenerative Treatment Methods for Osteoarthritis (LS-NeoCarE) project. LS-NeoCarE aims to improve the lives of osteoarthritis patients by developing sustainable regenerative cartilage implants. These living implants are based on revolutionary stem cell, bioreactor and 3D printing technology.

With the active involvement of researchers, industry, doctors and patient organisations, the consortium is creating support among both patients and doctors for applicability and among industry for marketing the developed implants. € 3.2 million has been made available for the project.

Read more about the NWO awards here.

Consortia

The consortium for 'The Load project' consists of Erasmus MC, Ziekenhuisgroep Twente, Technische Universiteit Delft, Leids Universitair Medisch Centrum, Radboud University Medical Centre, Technische Universiteit Eindhoven, Universitair Medisch Centrum Utrecht, Saxion University of Applied Sciences, University of Twente, Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences, Arthrosave, Golazo Sports, LifeTec Group, Ancora Health BV, Move-Metrics, Omnigen, Hy2Care, Optics11, Xsens Technologies, Orthros Medical, Vereniging voor Sportgeneeskunde (VSG), Koninklijke Wandelbond Nederland (KWBN), Koninklijk Nederlands Genootschap voor Fysiotherapie (KNGF), Siemens Healtineers, Motek Medical, ReumaNederland, AO Research Institute Davos (ARI), Wielersportbond (NTFU), Koninklijke Nederlandse Lawn Tennis Bond (KNLTB), Medical Delta, University of Liège (BE).

The consortium for the CIRCULAR project consists of Amsterdam UMC - Location VUmc, Erasmus MC, Amsterdam UMC - Location AMC, Saxion University of Applied Sciences, Wageningen University & Research, University of Amsterdam, Utrecht University Medical Centre, Whello, Corsano, Sulfateq, Locsense, Micronit, CytoCypher, Atrial Fibrillation Innovation Platform, Meten=Weten, Re: Set, Medical Delta, human Organ and Disease Model Technologies (hDMT), Meneer de Leeuw/TPI Helpathon, Music as Medicine, Parkinson Centre Nijmegen (ParC), Verduijn Coaching, Dutch CardioVascular Alliance (DCVA), StopAFib.org.

The consortium of Next generation immunodermatology (NGID) consists of Leiden University, Leiden University Medical Centre, University of Applied Sciences, Maastricht University, Utrecht University Medical Centre, Delft University of Technology, Erasmus MC, HAN University of Applied Sciences, Radboud University Medical Centre, Leiden University Medical Centre, Groningen University Medical Centre, Centre for Human Drug Research (CHDR), Proefdiervrij, River Diagnostics (RiverD), Janssen-Cilag B.V., Maruho (Japan), Almirall (Spain), Scibase (Sweden), CELLnTEC (Switzerland), Perimed AB (Sweden), Vereniging voor Mensen met Constitutioneel Eczeem (VMCE) (Association for People with Constitutional Eczema), Psoriasis Patients Netherlands, Stichting Huidlymfoom, Nederlandse Vereniging voor Dermatologie en Venereologie (NVDV), Nederlandse Vereniging voor Experimentele Dermatologie (NVED) (Netherlands Society for Experimental Dermatology), Skin Nederland, Clinical Microbiomics (Denmark), FibroTx (Estonia), Damae Medical (France), ImaBiotech (France), Rijksdienst voor Ondernemend Nederland (RVO), Centrale Commissie Mensgebonden Onderzoek (CCMO), Skin Research Institute of Singapore, Innovative Medicines Initiative.

The LS-NeoCarE consortium consists of Eindhoven University of Technology, Leiden University Medical Centre, Utrecht University, Leiden University, Fontys University of Applied Sciences, Utrecht University, Leiden University of Applied Sciences, Regenerative Medicine Crossing Borders, Purac Biochem BV, Demcon, Scinus Cell Expansion BV, ASR Zorgverzekering, NC Biomatrix BV, Azar Innovations, Poietis France, ReumaNederland, Patient Participation Arthritis Leiden LUMC (PPA-Leiden).