The Netherlands' three Top Institutes for life-science research (the BioMedical Materials program, the Center for Translational Molecular Medicine and Top Institute Pharma) announced a joint investment of M€ 28 on innovative research targeted at bringing personalised medicine closer to reality. The projects funded by the group will focus on developing new ways of delivering drugs to specific disease sites within the human body, thereby reducing the required doses, minimising unwanted side effects and increasing the drugs' effectiveness. Together with the development of tailored drug therapies, the imaging guided and targeted drug delivery techniques that these newly funded projects aim to develop, are widely regarded as one of the keys to highly personalised medicine.

The 7 projects for which funding was announced are mainly aiming for therapies for cardiovascular diseases and cancer. Combined, they bring together 12 knowledge institutes and 14 industrial parties. The projects result from a joint call for project proposals that was initiated by the three Top Institutes in recognition of the fact that imaging guided and targeted drug delivery is a highly interdisciplinary area of research that leverages their individual strengths – TI Pharma in drug development, CTMM in molecular diagnostics and imaging, and BMM in biomaterials and regenerative medicine. The 7 new projects are the first to encompass competencies from all three institutes.

Contact
Danielle Curfs
e: danielle.curfs(at)bmm-program.nl

Marjoke Kortas
e: marjoke.kortas(at)ctmm.nl

Ingeborg van der Heijden
e: ingeborg.vanderheijden(at)tipharma.com

The programme  is heading for a public-private partnership with the Ministry of Health, pharmaceutical companies and health insurers as joint clients. Good use of drugs concerns the effective, safe and effective use of medicines after they are registered for use. Research in GGG can improve the individual patient in the treatment yield.

Contact
Benien Vingerhoed-van Aken
t: +31 70 349 52 63 / e: geneesmiddelen(at)zonmw.nl

Medical Delta believes that integration of science, business, education at different levels, user feedback, attracting talent, funding, investments etc. is vital for enduring innovation within a region and therefore we pay much attention to community building and effective communication between the stakeholders. 

Mission
Medical Delta's mission is to stimulate the economic growth and provide healthcare solutions by developing (research), transferring (educate) and implementing new knowledge in life science and medical technology.

Medical Delta development goals

• Improved, less invasive and earlier diagnosis, which allows earlier and more effective treatment. In some cases it can even prevent disease manifestation.
• Personalised and less invasive therapy, which results in better/more effective treatments with fewer side effects.
• Better aftercare and monitoring, which allows patients to recover more quickly and remain healthy, contributing significantly both to patients’ quality of life and the flow through the healthcare chain.
   

Contact
Roel Kamerling
t: +31 (0)15 278 7993 / e: r.kamerling(at)tudelft.nl

The Netherlands Organisation for Health Research and Development ZonMw’s Priority Medicines for Children programme proposal was approved in late 2008, and the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport has now made funding available. The main aim of the programme is to foster research into the effects of existing medicines in children, in order to achieve more evidence-based use of medication in paediatric care. The programme aims to combine and strengthen the Netherlands’ current expertise in paediatrics, pharmacological research and a number of specific disorders. Various types of grants are available under the national Priority Medicines for Children programme:

1. Multidisciplinary projects
Two rounds of applications are planned for multidisciplinary projects (in 2009 and 2010). Multidisciplinary research will focus on the following themes:

• Action mechanisms and effectivity of medicines in children
• Long-term effects of the use of medicines by children
• Pharmacological treatment of young children, particularly howmedicines are administered.

Research on these themes should preferably focus on diabetes, asthma, infectious diseases and psychological disorders. Only a restricted part (max. € 1 million) of the total budget will be available for research in other disease areas.Clinical studies for product development and the development of new medicines do not fall within the focus of this research programme.

2. Ethical and legal research
Small-scale research projects focusing on ethical and legal issues may be eligible for financing.

Background
Priority medicines are treatments for existing and emerging diseases for which only substandard medicines are currently available, if at all. In this case, ‘substandard’ means medicines that produce many side-effects in patients, or are insufficiently effective, or are not properly tailored to the patients in question. The term ‘medicines’ is used in the broad sense, and includes new forms of treatment based on biotechnology, including tissue engineering and gene therapy. Research into ways of administering treatment would also tie in with the innovative character of this programme. The Priority Medicines for Children programme was launched in 2004 in response to the WHO report ‘Priority Medicines for Europe and the World’.

Contact
Deborah Alfarez 
t: +31 70 349 51 40

ZonMw’s Priority Medicines for the Elderly programme proposal was approved in late 2008, and the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport has now made funding available. The programme focuses on the effects of existing medicines in the elderly, with the aim of achieving more evidence-based use of medication in geriatric care. The programme aims to combine and strengthen the Netherlands’ current expertise in ageing and medicines.Various types of grant are available under the national Priority Medicines for the Elderly programme:

Multidisciplinary projects
Three rounds of applications are planned for multidisciplinary projects (in 2009, 2010 and 2011). A total of € 10 million is available for multidisciplinary projects, with a maximum per project of € 1 million for up to six years. Multidisciplinary research will focus on two priority topics:

• Neuropsychiatric disorders
• Skeletal disorders

Furthermore, the following generic issues are a focus of attention:

• The genetic and metabolic background of elderly people in relation to the   (side-)effects and effectivity of medicines
• Multimorbidity and polypharmacy
• Over- and under-prescribing

Centre of expertise
Part of the budget is reserved to establish a centre of expertise on medicines for the elderly.

Background
Priority medicines are treatments for existing and emerging diseases for which only substandard medicines are currently available, if at all. In this case, ‘substandard’ means medicines that produce many side-effects in patients, or are insufficiently effective, or are not properly tailored to the patients in question. The term ‘medicines’ is used in the broad sense, and includes new forms of treatment based on biotechnology, including tissue engineering and gene therapy. Research into ways of administering treatment would also tie in with the innovative character of this programme. The Priority Medicines for Children programme was launched in 2004 in response to the WHO report ‘Priority Medicines for Europe and the World’.

Contact
Harald Moonen
t: +31 70 349 53 49

The objective is to improve current diagnostics and to enable prevention-based approaches and to segregate patient populations (sub-typing) addressing the current responder/non-responder issues in Western medicine. The research concentrates on the discovery of novel biomarkers for two important chronic disease areas: type 2 diabetes and arthritis (osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis). Diagnostic discovery strategies will be based on “Disease phenotyping using metabolomics-based Systems Biology” and “ultra-weak photon emission”.

The SDPPM is a joint initiative of NGI/NMC and the Chinese Academy of Sciences/Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics.

Contact
Prof. Dr. Jan van der Greef, Chairman SD PPM
t: +31 88 8665 085 / e: jan.vandergreef(at)tno.nl

The Dutch government has identified nine top sectors. These are sectors where the Netherlands is strong worldwide. The Life Sciences & Healthcare is one of them. In so-called top teams, entrepreneurs, scientists and government worked together on advice on what points the industry can remain competitive in world markets. The primary source the top team has used as inspiration for the input and advice, are regional meetings (field consultations) and interviews with various stakeholders (groups). On June 17, the top team Life Sciences & Health offered the advice to Minister Verhagen of Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Innovation. In September, Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen on behalf of the Cabinet will come with a response.

The topsector Life Sciences & Health filled in from the application domain health ('red'). The full range of Life Sciences & Healthcare, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology and materials for diagnosis, medical technology and "telemedicine" is uniquely qualified to contribute to the quality of (animal) health, societal challenges and the changing demand and demand for increased productivity and increased activity and economic prosperity.

Contact
Edvard Beem (ZonMW)
e: lsh(at)zonmw.nl