Science & Technology http://www.amsterdambiomed.nl The Amsterdam BioMed Cluster is internationally recognised for its strong basic research and applied science performed in academia, research institutes, small biotech and large pharmaceutical companies. For an industry so dependent on scientific breakthroughs for progress, this is key. daily 1 2008-02-01T09:05:07Z Amsterdam BioMed, high impact medical research http://www.amsterdambiomed.nl/science-research/high-impact-medical-life-sciences-research The Amsterdam area has the highest concentration of life sciences research in the Netherlands with a strong biomedical focus. Similarly, the majority of life sciences companies in the Amsterdam BioMed Cluster are engaged in some field of Human Health. A tradition of excellence exists in five disease/ therapeutic areas, with multiple interactions between research institutes, small biotech and large pharmaceutical companies. The international recognition of Amsterdam's medical life sciences is illustrated by its large scientific output, by the abundant representation of its scientists in international research programmes and by the many clinical studies pharmaceutical companies perform here. The academic partners involved in the Amsterdam BioMed Cluster hold prestigious positions in the fields of:


The Cluster has fostered the development of innovative therapies and tools in these and other fields of life sciences.

Innovatieve Therapies & tools

]]> No publisher Sandra Migchielsen 2007-10-17T15:14:08Z Page Cardiovascular diseases http://www.amsterdambiomed.nl/science-research/cardiovascular-diseases The number of people suffering from cardiovascular disease is vast. The number of knowledge workers active in this field in the Amsterdam Area is too. Cardiovascular diseases are often the result of multiple different factors, and therefore demand a multidisciplinary research orientation. As with cancer and neurosciences, this requires strong interactions between pre-clinical and clinical researchers, to optimise translation to the clinic. It also requires links between programmes on metabolic disorders that cause vascular dysfunction (such as diabetes and lipid disorders and obesity), and programmes on thrombosis and atherosclerosis. Innovative cardiovascular imaging platforms support these programmes.
In addition, there is a strong focus on epidemiological studies to fine-tune prevention programmes, and extensive databases derived from family studies have been built up to obtain in-depth knowledge of the inheritability of cardiovascular diseases. This knowledge is directly translated into innovative therapeutics and diagnostics.

Main therapy targets:

  • Thrombosis
  • Atherosclerosis
  • Lipid disorders

Main therapies and tools:

  • Advanced Imaging Technology
  • Cholesterol-lowering drug discovery
  • Anticoagulants
  • Gene therapy
  • Patient cohorts
]]> No publisher Sandra Migchielsen 2007-10-17T15:13:59Z Page Infectious diseases http://www.amsterdambiomed.nl/science-research/infectious-diseases Several research institutes in Amsterdam have built up extensive expertise in infectious diseases. Sanquin and AMC work together on blood transmittable diseases, and AMC has a strong track record in the identification of novel viruses. Another main focus of the AMC is its AIDS programme, and the design of novel antiretroviral therapies has been the basis for many productive scientific and industry collaborations. The AMC has also built a strong international reputation in the prevention of HIV infection.

VUmc and AMC are working together on the development of rapid high throughput microbiological and immunogenetic typing and diagnostic systems, to improve the prevention and treatment of bacterial and parasitic diseases. In addition, the VUmc has strong programmes devoted to Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB), and human papilloma virus (HPV). Some subtypes of HPV play a causative role in the development of cervical cancer, and the VUmc has recently developed a home test for these HPV subtypes.

Infection and immunity
Amsterdam has extensive expertise in sexually transmitted infectious diseases (AIDS) and in the development of means for preventing HIV infection and optimising the treatment of HIV. Its strong multidisciplinary approach in virology provides opportunities for the development of innovative vaccines and new methods in the fields of transplantation and immunology and bacterial infections.

Main therapy targets:

  • New vaccines for HIV, hepatitis and other viral infections
  • Immune response after transplantation
  • Identification of new types of Corona virus and other infectious agents
Main therapies and tools:
  • Virus safety services
  • Viral vaccine manufacturing services
  • Virus discovery
  • A large range of diagnostic assays
  • Gene and cell therapy
  • Viral vaccines
]]> No publisher Sandra Migchielsen 2007-10-17T15:13:49Z Page Neuroscience http://www.amsterdambiomed.nl/science-research/neurosciences The scientific and clinical community in Amsterdam has invested heavily in building the interdisciplinary infrastructure best suited for translational research in the neurosciences.

There is a Brain Bank accessible to the international community, a Multiple Sclerosis (MS) center at the VUmc, and Alzheimer’s centres at both the VUmc and the AMC. The MS and Alzheimer’s centres are built on a multidisciplinary approach in order to optimise patient care, scientific research and education around these diseases. They have a strong international reputation and long track records of multiple collaborations with industry on drug development and fundamental research, and they exploit state-of-the art imaging technologies.

The VU also harbours a Centre for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, which has developed an integrated neurosciences programme, based on genomics and pharmaco-genomics and proteomics.

Neurological research programmes focus on the design of novel early diagnostic tools and biomarkers to follow the efficacy of new drugs. Developing such new clinical outcome measurements is crucial to drug development for neurological disorders.

Main therapy targets

  • Alzheimer's disease
  • Epilepsy
  • Multiple sclerosis
  • Stress and depression

Main therapies and tools

]]> No publisher Sandra Migchielsen 2007-10-17T15:13:41Z Page Oncology http://www.amsterdambiomed.nl/science-research/oncology Amsterdam is home to some exceptionally strong centres for oncology research and treatment. In addition a number of companies active in the field is based in the Amsterdam Area. The Free University  Medical Centre (VUmc) through its Cancer Centre Amsterdam (CCA), the Netherlands Cancer Institute (NKI), and the Academic Medical Centre (AMC), all have impressive track records in fundamental, translational and clinical research, and are equipped with all the necessary cutting-edge technology . Today’s clinical development strategies for cancer are geared towards designing patient-tailored therapies, and it is crucial that fundamental research occurs in a translational research setting. Amsterdam’s oncology programmes provide just that, and have built up many partnerships with industry in key areas of pre-clinical and clinical development.

The Amsterdam region hosts a broad spectrum of companies involved in cancer research:

  • Agendia: Gene expression analysis-based cancer diagnostics
  • AIMM Therapeutics: Development of vaccines of fully human nature; Technology to isolate human mAbs from humans having resolved a pathogenic challenge
  • DC Prime: DCPrime BV focuses on developing a sustainable dendritic cell (DC) platform and DC targeting technologies. These will be applied to treat cancer and autoimmunity
  • Kiadis Pharma: Kiadis Pharma focuses on the development and commercialization of advanced treatments for end-stage blood cancer patients
  • Kreatech Biotechnology BV:  The partner of choice in cancer diagnostics
  • MRC Holland BV: Development / production of simple to use DNA diagnostic kits based on the proprietary MLPA technique
  • SMS Oncology: SMS-Oncology conducts early clinical development projects for pharma and biotech companies in Europe. SMS-ONCOLOGY has experience in many tumour types

Oncology research programmes in Amsterdam centres cover a broad range of topics, from designing novel early diagnostics procedures to target identification, from tumour cell biology to angiogenesis, and from gene therapy and immunotherapy to advanced radiotherapy and optimisation of chemotherapy. The cluster is characterised by innovative target identification via shRNA screens, advanced mouse models for cancer and state-of-the-art facilities and expertise to design and execute clinical trials with excellent access to new patients.

Main therapy targets:

  • Breast
  • Colon
  • Head and neck
  • Melanoma
  • Hematology

Main therapies and tools:

  • Early diagnosis (microarrays, proteomics)
  • Imaging
  • Gene and cell therapies
  • Drug formulation
  • Pharmacokinetics
  • Tumour banks (frozen samples collected over 20 years with patient records)

 

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