Amsterdam UMC, locatie VUmc

Added value

The Amsterdam UMC, location VUmc is one of the leading academic centers in the Netherlands and focuses its core activities on healthcare, research and education. VUmc increasingly adopts a multidisciplinary approach to care: consultation, diagnosis, and treatment plan can be completed in a single visit to the clinic or outpatient department. VUmc research is strongly translational: from bench to bedside to society. VUmc’s studies focus on discovering, testing, implementing and disseminating new insights and on improving health care.

Added value for hDMT and vice versa

In particular, VUmc has expertise in culture of human healthy and diseased organotypic models, (tumor) immunology and angiogenesis. These are care areas of expertise which hDMT is aiming to include within the national institute. VUmc is looking forward to collaborations with the public and private sector via hDMTs network, in particular with TUs and SMEs, which will lead to innovative project ideas and valorization for all involved. In addition to moving science forward, hDMT will provide VUmc PhD students and young PostDocs with an excellent opportunity to be involved in multi-disciplinary science activities and networks enabling them to orientate better their future career pathway.

Other relevant information

A workgroup has been initiated on the VU campus to bring together scientists from different disciplines from VUmc (departments of Dermatology, Physiology, Medical Oncology, Molecular Cell Biology and Immunology), ACTA (research institute for Oral Regenerative Medicine) and VU (Laboratory for Myology) in order to generate awareness for hDMT. This workgroup will extend to AMC and Amsterdam Science park UvA.. The organ-on-a-chip initiative at the VUmc will be supported by a tight technology collaboration with the VU Departments of Physics and Analytical Chemistry, and the Laser lab Institute of the VU University Amsterdam, which can provide access to state-of-the-art imaging tools (including single molecule fluorescence imaging, high resolution deep tissue 2- and 3-photon imaging, Raman microscopy, opticaI coherence tomography, and atomic force microscopy), microfluidic systems, micromachined sensors (including force sensors for tissue and cell mechanical analysis), molecules to modulate and biosensors to monitor cell/organ function, and proteomics.

News

Tyler Kirby starts research group on skeletal muscle at Amsterdam UMC

Tyler Kirby recently started his independent group in the Department of Physiology at Amsterdam UMC....

The joint mission of VUmc

The interdisciplinary research institutes of Amsterdam UMC, location VUmc (VUmc Cancer Centre Amsterdam, Institute for Cardiovascular Research and Amsterdam Movement Science) join forces within hDMT to develop models for basal and translational research, identification of novel drug targets and testing safety and efficacy of novel compounds. Clearly for this to be a success, physiologically relevant human disease models are required. Even with the exceptional embedment of organ-on-chip technology within the VUmc research policy, we realize that we cannot achieve our goals alone and our scientists and students will greatly benefit from collaborations offered within hDMT

Expertise Immune competent Skin-on-Chip

immune competent human full thickness skin equivalents are employed in fundamental skin biology, toxicology, allergy, fibrosis and risk assessment studies. Our state-of-the-art model containing Langerhans Cells, is currently being incorporated into devices made in collaboration with Micronit BV and Phillips Research. Use of the Fluigent S.A. pump system will enable continuous circulation of immune cells e.g., monocytes and Iymphocytes, in the microfluidics compartment Iined with endothelial cells. Once the model has been established and shown to be stable for at least 2 weeks, it will be further developed into skin disease modeIs (melanoma, fibrosis, tumor angiogenesis) and combined with still to be developed oral mucosa, gut and Iymph node-on-chip.

Angiochip

This model (and variants thereof) is being developed and implemented in the department of Physiology in collaboration with Prof Lopez, (Seattle), LifeTec Group and Micronit B.V. The model consists of PDMS (polydimethylsiloxane) stamps and collagen which allows vessel network formation including branches and bifurcations. The model will use endothelial colony-forming cells isolated from peripheral blood to allow analysis of patient-specific endothelium. The model also allows co-culture with smooth muscIe cells and pericytes which we will be used for studies on intercellular crosstalk in the context of aging and vascular pathology. These 3D vascular models are being developed towards future drug and personal care product testing platforms.