Rationale and common goals
Neurodegenerative disorders, particularly Alzheimer’s disease (AD), other forms of dementia and Parkinson’s disease (PD), are among the biggest health care challenges of the 21st century. There are now over 250,000 dementia patients and 40,000 patients of Parkinson’s disease in the Netherlands. Because no treatments can stop these neurodegenerative disorders amid the backdrop of an aging population, numbers are expected to rise further quickly. This poses a direct threat to the sustainability of our entire health care system. The development of treatments that stop, prevent or at least slow down the degenerative processes is crucial to reduce future costs associated with neurodegenerative disorders and hence keep our health care system viable.
Neurodegenerative disorders share a profound pathophysiological and clinical complexity. For the majority of patients, multiple causes in concert lead to the development of disease, which unfolds over the course of years, probably decades. A careful clinical evaluation is the corner stone for a valid diagnosis of any neurodegenerative disorder. Moreover, it provides fundamental insight into the basic mechanisms that are critical for the development and validation of animal models and biomarkers. To date, treatment is limited to alleviation of symptoms, but our ultimate goal is to recognize disease before it manifests clinically, understand disease mechanisms and subsequently modify the disease process to prevent progression to a full blown disease state. This goal can only be achieved by improving early diagnostics, understanding clinical heterogeneity and mixed pathologies, and unraveling underlying mechanisms in patients and relevant model systems. We are in an excellent position to execute an integrative research program tailored to these aims. New technologies and in-house assets are the necessary prerequisites for success.
Assets
Our major assets are large and unique patient cohorts (Amsterdam Dementia Cohort: ~n=5000; Parkinson cohort: ~n=1000), large biobanks, extensive (multi-modal) brain imaging facilities and clinical trials. We have a strong tradition in translational research with excellent facilities. There is a longstanding and close collaboration with the Dutch brain bank and a history of research on post mortem tissue. Furthermore, we have ample experience in executing both complex, high-end clinical trials and large nationwide clinical trials. There is extensive expertise in clinical research, generation of well-characterized patient cohorts, clinical (endo)phenotyping (including advanced imaging using MRI, PET, EEG/MEG), as well as studies of (novel) biomarkers, neuroanatomy, neuropathology, transcriptomics, proteomics, gene finding, functional characterization, cellular and animal models. A major challenge of the program is to further emphasize synergistic approaches that can lead to breakthrough findings.
Translational links: observation by passionate clinicians
The starting point and inspiration are careful clinical observation of our patients by passionate clinicians. Clinical data collected in the patient setting form the basis for our clinical research activities, and they also form the inspiration for basic science aiming to unravel the underlying brain disease mechanisms (i.e. bedside to bench). In turn, state of the art basic science aims to provide and test targets for the better diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers, and the development of novel or improved treatment (bench to bedside). Use of patient biomaterial and developing new approaches in employing patient-derived cells will boost this effort. We are fully equipped to test novel treatments (infrastructure and CRO services for Phase I-III studies are available).
Making the difference
- This program is truly translational, capitalizing on observational studies, basic science and intervention studies, with the ultimate aim to reduce the number of patients with neurodegenerative disorders, and to reduce the burden of neurodegenerative brain diseases for society at large.
We aim to achieve world-class research in:
- Early diagnostics
- Subtypes/endophenotypes
- Treatments optimizing current treatments and developing novel treatments to cure or prevent neurodegeneration, including mechanistic studies to provide input for this latter goal.
- Crossing boundaries of individual diseases to unravel specific versus generic neurodegenerative processes.
Program leaders
Taskforce team
Program members
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AB Smit
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Afina Lemstra DR.
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Alicia Sanz Sanz
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Alida Gouw DR.
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Amanda M. Legemaat MSc
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Andrea Ganz
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Aniek van Gils DRS.
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Anke Dijkstra DR.
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Anne van Nifterick
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Annelies van der Vlies DR.
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Anne-Marie van Dam DR., (Principal Investigator)
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Annemieke Dols DR. MD PhD, (Principal Investigator)
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Annemieke Rozemuller PROF.DR., (Principal Investigator)
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Anouk den Braber DR.
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Arenda Mank MSC.
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Astrid Hooghiemstra DR. PhD
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Bart van Berckel PROF.DR., (Principal Investigator)
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Benjamin Drukarch DR., (Principal Investigator)
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Betty Tijms DR., (Principal Investigator)
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Charlotte Teunissen PROF.DR.IR., (Principal Investigator)
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Connie Jimenez PROF.DR., (Principal Investigator)
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Constant V. M. Verschuur
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Cornelis Stam PROF.DR., (Principal Investigator)
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Daan C. Velseboer
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Daan van Poppelen
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Dareia Selina Roos
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Debora Pita Illobre
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Dunja Westhoff MD
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Elisabeth Foncke DR.
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Ellen Vromen DRS.
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Emma Coomans
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Enzo M. Scutigliani MSc
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Eric A. J. Reits Prof. PhD, (Principal Investigator)
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Eric van Exel DR., (Principal Investigator)
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Esmé Eggink MSc
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Esmée Verwijk PhD
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Eva Louwersheimer DR.
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Evangelia Thanou
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Everard Gijsbertus Beatus Vijverberg DR.
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Femke Bouwman DR.
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Femke Feringa
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Femke Feringa DR.
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Fleur F. van Rootselaar MD PhD, (Principal Investigator)
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Flora Gossink DRS. Dr.
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Fran van Heusden
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Fred van Ruissen MEng PhD
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Frederique Hart de Ruijter
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Gert J. Geurtsen MSc PhD, (Principal Investigator)
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Hanneke Rhodius-Meester DR.
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Henk Berendse PROF.DR., (Principal Investigator)
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Henne Holstege DR. Associate Professor, (Principal Investigator)
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Henrieke L. Frequin
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Hisse Arnts
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Ilse van Straaten DR.
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Inge C. M. Hoogland
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Ires Ghielen
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J Verhaagen
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Janne Luppi MSC.
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Jasper Smits
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Jay Fieldhouse DRS.
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Jeroen Geurts PROF.DR., (Principal Investigator)
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Jeroen Hoogland
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Jeroen Hoozemans DR., (Principal Investigator)
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Jetske van der Schaar
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Johannes H. T. M. Koelman PhD
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Joke M. Dijk PhD
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Jolien Leijenaar MSC.
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Joost Raaphorst
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Jori Tomassen MSC.
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Karen A. Sap PhD
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Kevin Batenburg
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Kevin Marinus
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KW Li
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Lennard L. van Wanrooij
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Lill Eva Johansen
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Lisa Vermunt DR. PHD MD
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Lois Ottenhoff MSC.
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Luigi Lorenzini
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Maarten Bot MD
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Maarten Evert Witte DR.
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Mandy Kater
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Marieke P. Hoevenaar-Blom PhD
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Marie-Paule Emilie van Engelen
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Marijn Muurling MSC.
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Marissa Zwan
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Mark Dubbelman MSC.
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Marta Jorge Oliva
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Martijn Beudel
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Mazyar Abdollahi Nejat
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Melanie Hafdi MD MSc
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Micha Wilhelmus DR.
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Nicole N. van der Wel PhD
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Niels Prins DR., (Principal Investigator)
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Nikki A. Lammers
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Odile van den Heuvel PROF., (Principal Investigator)
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Paul Lucassen prof. dr.
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Pepijn van den Munckhof MD PhD, (Principal Investigator)
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Philip Scheltens PROF.DR., (Principal Investigator)
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Pieter Visser DR., (Principal Investigator)
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RE van Kesteren
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Rens Verhagen MSc
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Rick Schuurman Prof. PhD, (Principal Investigator)
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Rik Ossenkoppele DR., (Principal Investigator)
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Rik van der Kant
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Rob De Bie Prof. PhD, (Principal Investigator)
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Robert Veerhuis DR., (Principal Investigator)
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Rozemarije A. Holewijn
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RV Klaassen
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Sabine Schipper-Krom PhD
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Sarvi Sharifi
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Sietske Sikkes DR., (Principal Investigator)
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Sterre de Boer MD
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Suzanne Miedema MSc.
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Sylvie Lesuis
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Timo R. ten Brinke
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Vincent J. J. Odekerken PhD
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Wiep Scheper DR., (Principal Investigator)
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Wiesje van der Flier PROF.DR., (Principal Investigator)
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Willem A. van Gool Prof. PhD, (Principal Investigator)
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Wilma van de Berg PhD, (Principal Investigator)
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Yasmine E. M. Dreissen
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Yolande Pijnenburg PROF.DR., (Principal Investigator)