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A research network led by Barbara Bakker and Terry Derks of the UMCG Pediatrics Department received a EU grant 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 partnership of 15 universities, companies and research institutes.
Metabolic diseases are a major burden for the European population and the European health system. It is increasingly recognized that individual differences in life course, lifestyle and genetics influence the course of disease and the effects of treatment. A systemic medicine approach based on computer models powered with individual patient data can form the basis of a personalized diagnosis and treatment strategy.
The PoLiMer research network
The PoLiMeR research network (Polymers in the liver: metabolism and regulation) is hereditary. Liver diseases related to glycogen and fat metabolism are the ideal starting point for innovative research training in personalized systemic medicine. These liver diseases are a death threat for children. As each disease is rare in itself, research efforts have been fragmented. The research-based medicine system offers 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 needed. 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.
Program Marie Sk? Odowska-Curie
The amount of the subsidy was provided by the EU under the Marie Sk program? Odowska Curie. 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. PoLiMer brings together organizations from the Netherlands, Germany, Luxembourg, Sweden, Norway and the United Kingdom.
Background Coordinators
Barbara Bakker (1970), coordinator of PoLiMeR, was trained as a biochemist and systems biologist at the University of Amsterdam. and the De Duve Institute in Brussels. His research group focuses on the development of computer models and the experimental analysis of the metabolism of fatty acids and carbohydrates. As a result, she tries to learn more about the complex mechanisms of the disease in order to develop better methods of diagnosis and treatment. The Beatrix Children's Hospital of the UMCG has a knowledge center in the field of hereditary storage of liver-related glycogen and diseases related to fatty acid oxidation led by Terry Derks, partner of PoLiMeR. Dr. Derks is also a member of the Steering Committee of the European Reference Network for Metabolic Metabolic Diseases Metabern
. You will find more information at the following address: http://polimer-itn.eu/
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