Grants for medical research

With this subsidy they can jointly develop an innovative idea

Four TURBO grants were awarded on Tuesday 19 October to researchers from the University of Twente (TechMed Center) and Radboudumc for innovative technical-medical research. With the subsidy they can jointly develop an innovative idea.

Microgel technology to control osteoclast formation and function (MICROLAST)
Jeroen Leijten (UT) and Jeroen van den Beucken (Radboudumc)

Our bones are permanently built up and broken down, also known as bone formation and bone resorption. The health and regeneration of our bones depend on the balance between bone formation and bone resorption. Osteoclasts, a type of bone cells, are known for their role in bone resorption, but they also appear to play a role in bone formation. In the microCLAST project, Jeroen Leijten (UT) and Jeroen van den Beucken (Radboudumc) are developing a method to generate osteoclasts, in which they combine microfluidics with cell biology. The project ultimately provides a toolbox for the development of in vitro bone models and constructs for bone regeneration. In addition, they want to unravel the function of osteoclasts in healthy and diseased bone, and stimulate bone regeneration with a patient’s cells.

Health innovations
Erik Koffijberg (UT) and Janneke Grutters (Radboudumc)

In the Netherlands and worldwide, many new health innovations are developed every year. But even health innovations that are proven to be cost-effective are often not successfully implemented due to organizational aspects (such as staff availability, logistics and financial considerations). Erik Koffijberg (UT) and Janneke Grutters (Radboudumc) look in this project at five health innovations that cover a wide range of technologies. They look at what role and impact the organizational aspects have had on the acceptance and implementation of the innovations. In addition, they map out how tackling the different organizational aspects can increase the benefits of the innovations in the clinic. This study thus provides a framework that offers concrete support for the assessment of health innovations and how they can be used in the best possible way in healthcare practice.

Growing bone-on-chip
Pascal Jonkheijm (UT) and Nico Sommerdijk (Radboudumc)

Organ-on-chip and organoids (also called mini-organs) are promising models to investigate physiological and pathological processes of tissue. For bone research, the development of these models is still lagging behind. With this TURBO project, Pascal Jonkheijm (UT) and Nico Sommerdijk (Radboudumc) want to change that. The aim of the project is to look at healthy bone formation, and specifically at the role that stem cells play in the structure and organization of bone. To this end, they are developing an organoid-on-chip model to study patient-specific mechanisms of genetic bone disorders. This also makes it possible to investigate the effect of potential therapies. In this project, the UT’s knowledge of organ-on-chip development comes together with the live-imaging technology expertise at Radboudumc.

A translational pipeline to better understand blood-brain barrier defects in autism and beyond—from drosophila to the BBB ON-CHIP (TRUBBO)
Loes Segerink (UT) and Annette Schenck (Radboudumc)

Almost three percent of children in the Netherlands have autism or a related disorder. The exact causes of this are not yet fully understood. Recent research in fruit flies into the genetic risk factor for autism suggests that the blood-brain barrier plays an important role in the development of a disturbed sleep rhythm, as well as in other common characteristics of autism and related neurodevelopmental disorders. Because research in patients is (too) invasive, Loes Segerink (UT), Kerensa Broersen (UT) and Annette Schenck (Radboudumc) will investigate this in a different way. They want to develop a blood-brain barrier-on-chip model with which they can mimic human disease and gain more insight into the pathophysiology of autism and the physiological regulation of sleep.

OVER TURBO
The TURBO program started in 2017 and stands for ‘Twente University RadBoudumc Opportunities’. It ties in with the TopFit program that fleshes out the innovation profile ‘Concepts for a Healthy Life’ of the Eastern Netherlands region. The purpose of a TURBO grant is to prepare a project for obtaining larger external grants, such as from national and European funds and companies in the field of health care and technology.

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