Stimulus grant for development of an Emotion Intelligent Care Robot

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The EI robot consortium received a Stimulus grant of € 1.200.000 (€423.775,- for LUMC; dr. Hanneke Smaling) to develop an Emotion Intelligent Care Robot in collaboration with Mentech Innovation, SARA Robotics and care organizations Ipse de Bruggen and Zorggroep Elde Maasduinen.

The Emotion Intelligent Care Robot project seeks to develop an autonomous robot to assist people with dementia and people with intellectual disabilities, who often exhibit challenging behavior due to stress. The robot, developed by Mentech and Sara Robotics, uses [...]

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Kick-off ‘Thuis als het kan’ (At home if possible)

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The number of elderly people is increasing and healthcare is becoming increasingly expensive. Clinicians also notice this in geriatric rehabilitation care (GR). Clients’ wishes are also changing: they increasingly value rehabilitation close to home. We therefore have to design the GR differently: more outpatient (from home) and less in the nursing home or rehabilitation clinic.

On the 1st of June, 2023, various Dutch researchers started a new research project: ‘Thuis als het kan’ (At home if possible), sponsored by [...]

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New website UNC-ZH is launched!

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The new website of the University Network for the Care sector South Holland is launched!

The University Network for the Care sector South Holland (UNC-ZH) is a collaboration between Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC) and twelve care institutions in the province of South Holland. UNC-ZH aims to initiate, facilitate and conduct scientific research related to healthcare.

Our primary focus is on issues, problems, and questions within the practical context (care institutions). The aim of the joint implementation of scientific [...]

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LUMC researchers connect brain lesion shape to long-term dementia risk

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Jasmin Keller and others of the LUMC, collaborating with the AGES-Reykjavik study group in Iceland, found that the shape of a type of brain lesion called white matter hyperintensities (WMH) are linked to long-term risk of dementia. WMHs refer to areas of abnormal white matter in the brain that appear bright on certain types of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans. These areas are associated with a variety of conditions, including vascular disease and dementia.

The study involved more than [...]

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Inaugural lecture Simon Mooijaart: Maintaining quality of life for elderly patients is key

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On May 12th, 2023, prof. dr. Simon Mooijaart of the LUMC presented his inaugural lecture in the Academiegebouw in Leiden. The focus of his lecture was to foster interdisciplinary “bench to bedside” approaches for patient-centered elderly care. It is key to prioritize and maintain quality of life during treatments, preferably even in the home environment, by using fitting treatment plans and involving the community. This should also help to counter rising treatment costs and nursing staff shortages.

Professor Mooijaart, [...]

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LUMC Research Directorate: New Dutch research project grants available in 2023-24

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The Research Directorate of the LUMC has sought out new grants for funding opportunities in medical research in the coming year(s). This is of interest to any researchers looking for funding to start new (large-scale) projects. Included are grants from two large funding bodies, KWF Kankerbestrijding and NWO. The funding programmes and calls can be summarized as follows:

 

KWF offers a Consortium project with flexible funding and different modules. The deadline is unknown at this time. [...]

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LUMC study finds surprising connection between brain stem changes and cerebral small vessel disease in Alzheimer’s patients

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A new study by dr. Whitney Freeze and others looked at the relationship between changes in cerebral small vessel disease and a part of the brain stem called the locus coeruleus (LC). Cerebral small vessel disease is an umbrella term for conditions affecting the brain’s blood vessels such as cerebral amyloid angiopathy and atheriolosclerosis, as both can damage small arteries. These vascular pathologies can contribute to Alzheimer’s dementia.

The researchers used brain tissue from deceased individuals who were enrolled in [...]

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LUMC and Erasmus MC researchers find new patterns of brain iron accumulation in frontotemporal dementia

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Louise van der Weerd, Boyd Kenkhuis and others published a paper with Erasmus MC on iron accumulation in patients with frontotemporal lobe dementia. Neuroinflammation has been implicated in frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) pathophysiology, including in genetic forms with microtubule-associated protein tau (MAPT) mutations (FTLD-MAPT) or chromosome 9 open reading frame 72 (C9orf72) repeat expansions (FTLD-C9orf72). Both DNA mutations are associated with eventual brain cell death, thereby mediating a strong decline in brain volume in the frontal and temporal areas of [...]

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300k BrightFocus grant awarded to Louise van der Weerd of the LUMC to investigate brain iron spread and inflammation in Alzheimer’s disease

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LUMC investigator, dr. Louise van der Weerd, has received a 300.000 euro grant from the BrightFocus Foundation for a new research project on the histopathology of Alzheimer’s dementia. In this project, van der Weerd and her group aim to do a comprehensive analysis of the histological spreading pattern of iron in the cortex of patients with varying degrees of Alzheimer’s pathology.

Amyloid and hyperphosphorylated tau are the hallmarks of Alzheimer’s Disease, and follow a specific distribution pattern, which was described [...]

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TENT study on chemotherapy in elderly patients presented at annual Verenso conference

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This month, PhD student Joosje Baltussen presented preliminary data on quality of life and physical functioning in older patients treated with chemotherapy at the annual Verenso conference: the Dutch Association of Elderly Care Physicians. The conference took place in Den Bosch.

The data presented are part of the Triage of Elderly Needing Treatment (TENT) study, a large multicenter prospective study from the Leiden-region that includes older patients who require intensive treatment, such as chemotherapy. Joosje and her team investigated the [...]

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