ZonMw Open Competition grants to study cerebral Small Vessel Disease and the gut microbiome in depression

PROteoMIcS in cErebral Small Vessel Disease to define molecular subtypes in stroke and dementia

Prof. Geert Jan Biessels (UMC Utrecht), Prof. Ynte Ruigrok (UMC Utrecht), Dr. Betty Tijms (Amsterdam UMC)

Cerebral small vessel disease (SVD) are an important cause of strokes and dementia. In old age, almost everyone has SVD on brain scans, but there are major interindividual differences. One person may have a lot of SVD, the other little, one may have marked SVD-related complaints, the other none or hardly any. This can make the diagnosis difficult. Better treatment is also urgently needed.

The concept of the PROMISE-SVD research project is that differences in SVD between people are explained by differences in underlying disease processes, which can be recognized by measuring protein profiles in the blood using new techniques. The team expects to find different SVD subgroups, with differences in hereditary predisposition, scan abnormalities, and clinical consequences. The protein profiles will also provide indications of causes and which is relevant for treatment. The results thus contribute to the development of a better, personalized approach to SVD.

Guts to beat depression!

Dr. Robert Kraaij (Erasmus MC), Prof. Stanley Brul (University of Amsterdam), Dr. Anja Lok (Amsterdam UMC), Dr. Rick Quax (University of Amsterdam), Dr. Aniko Korosi (University of Amsterdam)

Depressive disorders cause significant disability, mortality and economic impact, with current treatments often inadequate. The gut microbiome - a diverse community of microbes in the digestive system - shows strong, replicable links to depression. This project aims to explore gut microbiota and their products as potential new interventions for depression.

The goal is to identify bacterial targets for diagnosing, treating, or preventing depression. This project will extend research to multi-cohort, longitudinal studies, examining temporal and causal relationships and considering ethnic and sex differences. It will also explore interactions between microbial groups and validate promising candidates in preclinical models.

The project aims to recommend prebiotics and probiotics for clinical testing, addressing the need for better depression treatments. Results will benefit both academic and industrial partners in food and pharmaceuticals.