EU grant for hereditary metabolic diseases research

A research network, led by Barbara Bakker and Terry Derks of the Department of Pediatrics of the UMCG, received a grant from the University of Michigan. EU of 4 million euros. They will be able to attract 15 young researchers to carry out research on hereditary metabolic diseases related to the liver. The network is an international collaboration of 15 universities, companies and research institutes.

The PoLiMeR research network (Liver Polymers: Metabolism and Regulation) considers inherited diseases of glycogen metabolism and fats as the ideal starting point for innovative research training. personalized system medicine. These liver diseases are a death threat for children. As each disease is rare in itself, research efforts have been fragmented. The system-based medicine research provides the opportunity to apply new drugs and diagnostic tools to various diseases

New generation of scientists

To advance the diagnosis and treatment of metabolic diseases, a new generation of scientists is necessary. The complexity of the metabolic network and its behavior deviant to the disease require interdisciplinary researchers trained in the "three pillars of systemic medicine": experimental research, computer and clinical. PoLiMeR aims to train talented PhD students to become System Specialists, able to work seamlessly together in computer labs and wet labs, and easily switch between clinical, scientific and industrial environments.

Marie Skłodowska-Curie Program

EU provided under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie program. The goal of this program is to provide beginning researchers with the opportunity to develop their research skills, collaborate with established research teams, and expand their own career opportunities. A prerequisite for the grant is that the projects involve several organizations from different European countries and that there is close cooperation between the research institutes and the business world. In PoLiMer, organizations from the Netherlands, Germany, Luxembourg, Sweden, Norway and the United Kingdom work together.