Research to close the gap between fundamental science and the patient

‘Diagnosis, medicines, recovery’ reports on the groundbreaking results achieved by the

six LSH-FES consortia: tEPIS, Cyttron II,  NeuroBasic, Virgo, DCTI and NIRM. The activities of these consortia were carried out from 2010 to 2016 and were partly funded from natural gas revenues by the Dutch government matched by companies, universities and others. These consortia cover the Top Sector Life Sciences & Health approach, where industry, science and government collaborate in the triple helix.  

The fields of activity of these research consortia were diverse, ranging from image sharing,

bioimaging and brain disorders to viruses, type 1 diabetes and regenerative medicine. Despite their varied focus, the six consortia all worked on the often-difficult transition from fundamental research to practical applications. After six years of hard work, the results of these joint initiatives are now clearly visible - many of the developments can be applied immediately to help patients or used in further research that will directly affect patients.

Enjoy reading the results of the six consortia and the Life Sciences & Health as Top Sector: Diagnosis, medicines, recovery. 

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Four researchers receive the NWO Spinoza Prize

Physical-organic chemist Wilhelm Huck, philosopher Lodi Nauta, internist/infectious disease specialist Mihai Netea and nanophysicist Bart van Wees will receive the NWO Spinoza Prize on 13 September 2016. The announcement was made by NWO chairman Jos Engelen. The NWO Spinoza Prize is the highest Dutch award in science and consists of an amount of 2.5 million euros to be used for scientific research.

The NWO Spinoza Prize is not only an honour but above all an incentive to conduct further research. NWO awards the Spinoza Prizes each year to a maximum of four researchers working in the Netherlands who rank as leading authorities in their field according to international standards.

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The 2006 FES funded part of the CTMM translational research programme has come to an end. Seven CTMM projects, so-called research pearls, are still running and being funded by a TTI transition grant via the government and Top Sector Life Sciences & Health. To summarize and highlight its results, CTMM has published a book: ‘Translating Science into Better Healthcare’. The book also touches upon the Dutch Life Sciences & Health sector and its potential for the future.

The CTMM programme has already given rise to a wide variety of new products and clinical procedures with clear benefits for patients. So far, the program has yielded more than 140 tests, assays, biomarkers, proofs of concept, first-in-man studies, patient cohorts and products. In the area of molecular imaging, 13 new PET tracers have been developed and tested in patients. For molecular diagnostics, 14 new in-vitro diagnostic test devices (both point-of-care and lab-on-chip) have been produced, some of which have already been CE-marked and introduced into the market. Looking back, CTMM has been much more than simply an experiment in bringing together different stakeholders to implement translational research. It has set a new standard of excellence for public-private collaborations.

The CTMM organisation has merged with TI Pharma and has become Lygature as of January 1st, 2016. Within the CTMM program seven projects, the so-called ‘pearls’, continue to run until 2017: translational projects that could radically improve patient outcomes for diseases.

Read more on the CTMM research projects that involve Dutch university medical centers, several universities, and more than 90 companies in their new book.​

Are you the life sciences researcher with entrepreneurial aspirations? Apply now for the new Venture Challenge by LifeSciences@Work. The call will close on will close on 29 August (12.00 hours).

LifeSciences@Work, powered by Top Sector Life Sciences & Health, offers scientists a 10-week educational programme with boot camps, 1-on-1 coaching and mentoring to develop an initial idea into a solid business case. During the Venture Challenge the participants learn to:

• to analyse customer value propositions
• to identify key risks and assumptions
• to develop a validation and de-risking strategy
• to build a venture plan
• and how to get connected to experts and funders

Watch the video interview (in Dutch) of Carine van den Brink (Axon Lawyers), chair of the Venture Challenge jury and active in all of the previous 15 Venture Challenge editions.

Want to join the next Venture Challenge? Apply at the LifeSciences@Work website. 

The Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) has awarded a Veni grant of maximum 250,000 euros to 158 researchers who have recently gained their doctorate. With a Veni grant from NWO, highly promising young researchers can further elaborate their own ideas during a period of three years.

With the 158 Veni grants, NWO is investing a total of 39.5 million euros in curiosity-driven research. Together with Vidi and Vici, Veni is part of the Innovational Research Incentives Scheme of NWO.

The researchers will investigate a wide range of subjects, such as building nanostructures in living cells, and a new immunotherapy for intestinal cancer. Find all of the Veni awards 2016 here.

Some Facts and figures

Total (eligible) applicants: 1058

Male/female applicant ratio: 481 female, 575 male

Number of awards (percentage): 158 (15%)

Female/male award ratio: 77 women, 81 men

Percentage awarded (women): 16%

Percentage awarded (men): 14%.

Source:​​​​​​​NWO