Health-Holland has awarded a three-million-euro grant to Kors van der Ent, professor of paediatric lung diseases (UMC Utrecht) for the PRO-Long research. Kors and his team are investigating how to use biotechnology to develop innovative therapies. They focus on patients with rare lung diseases, such as cystic fibrosis and Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia.
In the Netherlands, more than 1.2 million people have chronic lung disease. Hereditary factors play a role in almost all lung diseases, and some lung diseases (such as Cystic Fibrosis and Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia) are even completely determined by genetic defects. People with these conditions are often ill and often hospitalised. The associated annual healthcare costs amount to about EUR 4 billion. Moreover, these people often die at a younger age.
The aim of this PRO-Long research is to develop mRNA and gene therapy in human stem cells, using biotechnology and artificial intelligence. This will allow people with lung diseases to be treated faster and more effectively. UMC Utrecht is not conducting this research alone, but together with Amsterdam UMC, two health funds and Lung Alliance Netherlands.
Kors van der Ent: ‘In the laboratory, we test new drugs directly on the cells of patients with rare hereditary lung diseases. We accelerate that process and make it better and better. But we also make sure, together with patient organisations, that patients are well informed as soon as a drug is very promising. In this way, we make the road from laboratory to the consulting room much shorter.’
With this programme, UMC Utrecht also encourages scientists and companies to keep the Netherlands at the forefront of these developments and make the Netherlands a magnet for new knowledge and economic activity.
Health-Holland promotes scientific discoveries and technological innovations that contribute to healthcare and life sciences (e.g. food production). Health-Holland also stimulates scientific discoveries and technological innovations that contribute to sustainable and structural economic growth.
