Jeffrey Beekman appointed as professor of 'Cellular Disease Models at the Faculty of Medicine'

Prof. Dr. Jeffrey Beekman has been appointed professor of Cellular Disease Models at the Faculty of Medicine this summer.

FUTURE Study receives € 500.000,- from Hartekind Foundation for fetal research into congenital heart

The Hartekind Foundation has awarded € 500.000,- to introduce this technique widely in The Netherlands and to use it for research into congenital heart defects. With an MRI, a detailed image can be made of the heart of an unborn child. The Wilhelmina Children's Hospital is the first to apply this new technique in The Netherlands.

CHILD Research magazine

We are proud to present the CHILD research magazine that is developed for the Child Health program. This magazine offers a unique overview of all the beautiful research that is being done by Child Health at UMC Utrecht.

Regenerative Medicine and collaboration at the Utrecht Science Park

Childhood cancer: research into genetic predisposition

Combining medical data and DNA analysis will help identify children with a genetic predisposition.

Feb 14: Genetic volume buttons affect autoimmune diseases

In patients with autoimmune diseases such as juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), the immune system starts to act against the body's own cells. Investigator Janneke Peeters at UMC Utrecht has now discovered that this happens because the 'volume buttons' of certain genes in the immune cells are too high. Also, the recycling process of broken parts in immune cells in people with an autoimmune disease is too fast. Medications that slow down these processes may offer a solution in the long term.

Major Research Grant for Pre-eclampsia study in Ghana

The ongoing SPOT (Severe Pre-eclampsia Outcome Triage) study recently received a $985k grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. This study is conducted in a collaboration between the University Medical Center Utrecht (Julius Global Health, Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care), Ghana Health Services (Greater Accra Regional Hospital), Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, H3Africa and the University of Tennessee.

Research Center of Excellence for Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis

The pediatric rheumatology research group of UMC Utrecht has been named Research Center of Excellence for Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA). The group is working on a tailor-made treatment for children with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis. Reuma Nederland supports this long-term scientific research, because it offers the prospect of what children with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis are entitled to: a safe and tailor-made treatment. To make this possible, they donate € 500,000,- for research in the next five years.

Oct 25: Bacteria in the nose and pharynx are related to risk of respiratory infections in babies

The bacterial composition of the nose and pharynx of young children and elderly people seems to influence the risk and severity of respiratory infections. This conclusion is drawn by Wouter de Steenhuijsen Piters, who will be awarded a PhD on October 25 in Utrecht.

Interleukin-1 blockade effective as a starting treatment in systemic juvenile arthritis

Nienke ter Haar has investigated the role of different types of white blood cells and demonstrated that a new treatment strategy for patients with systemic juvenile arthritis with interleukin-1 blockade (IL-1 blockade, with the new biological drug anakinra) is the first choice, with most patients achieving rapid and long-term reduction of disease symptoms. She also concludes that neutrophilic granulocytes (a type of immune cells) play an important role in the early disease mechanisms of the disease, and that IL-1 blockade is an effective treatment for restoring neutrophils.