Consortium including LUMC awarded 22.5 million to link databases
A national consortium of health researchers has been awarded a government subsidy of 22.5 million euro to link their medical research databases. Professor Gertjan van Ommen: ‘This is an enormous impetus for epidemiological and biomedical research.’
- A national consortium of health researchers, including Leiden reserachers, has been awarded a government subsidy of 22.5 million euro to link their medical research databases. Professor Gertjan van Ommen: ‘This is an enormous impetus for epidemiological and biomedical research.’
The materials will stay where they are.
- Spread out
- Databanks are being - or will be - set up in many locations in the Netherlands; they will be used for biomedical research or will be improved with modern, large-scale research methods, including for DNA research. The material has often been collected over many years, sometimes decades, but is spread throughout a large number of hospitals and other healthcare institutions. The use of the data for biomedical research is often hampered by differences in how the contents are collated and through a lack of insight into the research being carried out elsewhere.
- Clinical and biological data
- The national project, known as BBMRI-NL (Biobanking and BioMolecular Resources Research Infrastructure for the Netherlands), that has been awarded the subsidy focuses on harmonising how data are described and stored, making the information and materials more readily accessible for further biomedical research, and improving them with modern, large-scale research methods, including DNA research. The activities will focus on clinical and biological data. The materials themselves will remain where they are and the privacy of personal information will be maintained. Part of the budget is intended for harmonising guidelines on the protection of privacy.
Material and data are currently spread over many different locations.
- Roadmap
- The participants in BBMRI-NL are the eight university medical centres, other research institutions and epidemiological centres. The subsidy will be made available by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Wellbeing via NWO in the context of the Dutch Roadmap for large-scale research infrastructures. The subsidy is currently for a period of three years, but may be extended.
- Quality impetus
- Professor Gertjan van Ommen (Professor of Human Genetics, Leiden University Medical Center) applied to NWO for the subsidy on behalf of the centres. He is delighted with the award: 'This is an enormous impetus for epidemiological and biomedical research in the Netherlands. The existing material is often very valuable, but because it is so spread out, it is underutilised. Photo: Professor Van Ommen: 'With BBMRI-NL, the Netherlands has put itself firmly on the map.'
- Speeding up research
- Van Ommen predicts that linking these databases will speed up research into the causes of health problems and into the development of therapies and the prevention of diseases. 'For illnesses such as diabetes, Alzheimer's, rheumatism and cancer, the causes are so complex that thousands of patients are needed to investigate the real differences between health and disease. This issue has now gained worldwide recognition, and is leading to a strong movement towards very large-scale research units.'
- Strong partner
- ‘With this initiative, the Netherlands has taken the right action, and in good time,' Van Ommen continues, 'and has put itself firmly on the European map. We can now have a major influence on the direction and priorities for such research within Europe. And we can also become a strong partner for researchers and organisations that are interested in developing better medicines and therapies.'
(20 October 2009)
