Combination therapy outperforms chemotherapy in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia Chemotherapy has been the most effective treatment to date for young and fit patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL). The disease is the most common form of leukaemia in the Western world, causing a substantial health burden on patients and society. It is currently incurable. Research led by researchers from Cologne University, Amsterdam UMC and Copenhagen University, now shows that a chemofree drug-combination therapy is more effective and produces fewer side effects. The results of this study are published today in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Cognitive behavioural therapy lessens post-viral fatigue after COVID-19 Those with post-viral fatigue after suffering from COVID-19 benefit from cognitive behavioural therapy, resulting in less fatigue and concentration problems. Lead researcher, Hans Knoop, Professor of Medical Psychology at Amsterdam UMC found that “After behavioural therapy, patients not only had less symptoms but also functioned better both physically and socially. Those improvements were still present even after six months.” Today, research from Amsterdam UMC, RadboudUMC and three other hospitals is published in Clinical Infectious Diseases.
Amsterdam UMC leads an AI-powered hunt for high-risk vascular patients Every year 18 million people die from cardiovascular disease. Making it the deadliest disease in the world. Currently studies focus mainly on the heart, leaving the influence of vascular disease on these large numbers of deaths often out of sight. Despite vascular disorders being a reliable indicator for death from heart disease.
Amsterdam UMC leads international consortium in the search for treatment for ME/CFS Thanks to a ZonMw grant of more than seven million euros, Amsterdam UMC kick starts new biomedical research into ME/CFS. Jos Bosch, researcher at the University of Amsterdam and Amsterdam UMC, leads along with more than 20 partners, the hunt for answers to the following questions: What exactly happens in the body of patients? How can the diagnosis be improved? And what might be effective treatments?
There's no malaria magic bullet, there may never be, but there are reasons to be optimistic Nearly half of the world's population are at risk of malaria and the hunt for a vaccine continues. But, in the view of Martin Grobusch, Professor of Tropical Medicine and Travel Medicine at Amsterdam UMC, it's not the magic bullet of a vaccine that we should be waiting for but rather getting to work on a magic gun, filled with all the options that we already have.
Long-COVID a greater burden for migrant groups than the Dutch population All prominent migrant groups in the Netherlands suffer more from long-covid than the native Dutch population, research from Amsterdam UMC has found. The study, published today, in The Lancet Regional Health – Europe, shows that in some groups the rates of long-covid are up to 50% larger than in the Dutch population. Resulting in many migrant groups “suffering in silence,” in the words of senior author Professor Charles Agyemang.
Non-Invasive Prenatal Test free for all women in the Netherlands This month the Dutch TRIDENT studies aiming at responsible implementation of the Non-Invasive Prenatal Test (NIPT) in the Netherlands will end. As a result of the positive outcomes of these studies, NIPT becomes a structural part of the Dutch national prenatal screening program and will from now on be freely available for all pregnant women in the Netherlands.
New IVF Method: more expensive, not more effective The use of time-lapse monitoring in IVF does not result in more pregnancies or shorten the time it takes to get pregnant. This new method, which promises to "identify the most viable embryos", is more expensive than the classic approach. Research from Amsterdam UMC, published today in The Lancet, shows that time-lapse monitoring does not improve clinical results.
In search of the role of our immune system in Alzheimer's Disease Amsterdam UMC increasingly shines a light on the role of the immune system in Alzheimer's offering a new perspective in the hunt for an effective treatment. Today, Professor Elga de Vries is awarded an ERC Advanced Grant of €2.5m to continue this, with the BRAIN Project.
