ZonMw awards highlight the strength of the collaboration between VU and Amsterdam UMC in Alzheimer’s drug discoveryIn total, six projects have received a ZonMw award within the Promising Innovative Therapies program. This program supports the development of new treatments targeting the underlying mechanisms of dementia, intending to accelerate their progression towards clinical application. The projects within Amsterdam Neuroscience explore a range of approaches to treating Alzheimer’s disease, from drug development to brain stimulation and gene therapies.
Arjan Hillebrand unravels disrupted brain networks with magnetoencephalographyWith his specialism in magnetoencephalography (MEG), Arjan Hillebrand wants to further explore how brain networks function and how they are disrupted in dementia, epilepsy, and brain tumors. Additionally, he wants to recognize those disrupted networks earlier and more reliable than in current situations. During his inaugural lecture on April 24, 2026, Arjan Hillebrand will discuss this as the newly appointed Professor of Magnetoencephalography at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.
New biomarker helps differentiate underlying pathologies of frontotemporal lobar degenerationResearchers at the Alzheimer Center Amsterdam (Amsterdam UMC) have published a study on a novel cerebrospinal fluid biomarker, AcTau174, in Nature Medicine. In this study, neuroscientists Madison Honey, Charlotte Teunissen, and colleagues show that AcTau174 concentrations are elevated across multiple neurodegenerative diseases, including two forms of frontotemporal dementia (FTD), Alzheimer’s disease (AD), mild cognitive impairment due to AD (MCI-AD), and dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB). Importantly, they demonstrate that AcTau174 concentrations can differentiate between underlying pathologies in FTD.
