LUMC in five flagship projects strengthening the Netherlands' scientific infrastructure

Why some people age healthily and others don’t

Why do some people grow old in good health while others don’t? That question lies at the heart of a major new infrastructure project in which LUMC plays a key role. Together with other institutions, LUMC is receiving more than €17 million in funding from NWO.

Within the Netherlands Cohort Consortium (NCC), the university medical centers are building a unique data infrastructure, a mega-cohort containing information from nearly 500,000 Dutch citizens. By connecting existing studies, researchers create one large source of data on health, lifestyle, and ageing.

LUMC contributes extensive expertise in this field. The Department of Clinical Epidemiology provides research and data from the NEO Study, while the Department of Molecular Epidemiology has been studying why some people age healthily for many years, following long-lived families in the Leiden Longevity Study.

Insights from NCC data will help identify and prevent diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and dementia earlier. They will also enable individuals to make better choices about their own health, for instance, concerning diet, exercise, and living environment.

By making data from cohort studies across the Netherlands available, NCC researchers can conduct large-scale studies on the simultaneous occurrence of multiple diseases (multimorbidity).

Looking inside without cutting: smarter research with fewer laboratory animals

For preclinical research, it is crucial to look inside living animals without performing surgery. Imaging techniques such as MRI, CT, and ultrasound make this possible. They help researchers understand how the body works and how diseases develop, but require specialized equipment and expertise.

To further develop and make these techniques widely available, the AMICE collaboration project was established. AMICE (which stands for Advanced Multi-Modal Imaging Centers) receives €19.6 million in NWO funding. Of that, LUMC, which plays a major role in the project, will receive €3.8 million.

LUMC coordinates the subproject on artificial intelligence and data reuse. Under the leadership of Prof. Louise van der Weerd (Radiology & Human Genetics), a team of LUMC researchers works with partners from Leiden University to develop a virtual mouse and rat model. This model will help combine and analyze existing imaging data in smart ways, allowing researchers to learn more while using fewer animals.

Thanks to AMICE, researchers gain access to the latest imaging technologies and expertise, keeping the Netherlands at the forefront of biomedical research.

Looking beyond DNA

DNA tells us much about how life works, but what actually happens inside a cell depends on other molecules, such as proteins, sugars, and fats. These form a complex network that determines cell behavior. Changes in this network play a key role in diseases like cancer, infections, and autoimmune disorders.

The BioBeyond_NL project aims to better understand this molecular layer. A national network will be set up, equipped with advanced instruments and expertise. Researchers across the Netherlands will be able to collaborate and use technologies such as mass spectrometry and artificial intelligence.

LUMC plays a central role in this project. Its Center for Proteomics and Metabolomics (CPM) possesses unique expertise in measuring biomolecules, such as sugar modifications on proteins. These techniques are crucial for detecting subtle differences between patients and understanding disease mechanisms. Within BioBeyond_NL, these methods will be further developed and made available to researchers nationwide.

Thanks to the funding, BioBeyond_NL can invest in the latest analytical instruments. This allows researchers to map the hidden layer of life - beyond DNA - and work toward better diagnoses and treatments.

A major boost for electron microscopy

With a €30 million grant, NWO is giving a major boost to electron microscopy in the Netherlands. The funding has been awarded to the national project EMPower, in which LUMC and Leiden University are closely involved.

The funds will be used to renew the national infrastructure, including the purchase of a new super-resolution electron microscope for the Netherlands Centre for Electron Nanoscopy (NeCEN) in Leiden and the opening of a second NeCEN site in Utrecht. NeCEN is a national facility where researchers can study protein structures up to 100 million times smaller than a meter, essential for understanding cellular processes, uncovering disease mechanisms, and developing new medicines.

LUMC Professor Meindert Lamers, also Director of NeCEN, welcomes the grant: "This allows us to bring electron microscopy in the Netherlands back to the highest international level, enabling new discoveries in cellular and protein structures. The new super-resolution electron microscope will allow us to capture images with even greater precision and less noise. It’s a wonderful collaboration with many partners, scientists from across the country bring their samples to the Leiden Bio Science Park, and soon also to Utrecht when our second NeCEN facility opens there."

Upright and in motion in the MRI

Current medical imaging shows the human body only in a static, horizontal position — not accurately reflecting the forces and functions at play during daily activities such as standing or moving. The BioMotive collaboration, in which LUMC participates, aims to change this with an advanced MRI system capable of scanning the body upright and in motion.

This allows researchers to see how muscles, bones, and the heart behave under realistic conditions, such as during physical exertion. By applying advanced MRI techniques, BioMotive makes it possible to directly visualize internal forces and physiological processes. This provides deeper insights into disorders of the musculoskeletal, digestive, and circulatory systems that depend on posture and movement.

In total, NWO is investing €197 million in eleven Large-Scale Research Infrastructures.
Want to know more? Visit the NWO website.