Psychiatric patients are ambivalent about the value biomarker research. On the one hand, they hope it can give them "definite" proof that their condition is real. On the other hand, they are afraid of stigmatization. Patients stress that biomarker technology should not replace ‘subjective’ experiences in their conversations with psychiatrists. With regard to physicians, in this case urologists, often they disagreed with developers of biomarkers on 1) the perceived advantages of biomarkers; 2) the scientific and clinical evidence; 3) the advantages of other technologies such as MRI in urology; and 4) the value of other diagnostic tests

Mycobacteria are best known for the notorious pathogen that causes tuberculosis (TB): the most lethal bacterial infection, even today. Moreover, we recently see an alarming national and international increase in infections with nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM), which are emerging as important opportunistic pathogens of humans. The urgency of therapeutic innovations is stressed by the lack of effective vaccines and the global rise in antibiotic-resistant mycobacteria. Here, we will unite leading experts in microbiology, structural biology, cell biology, genetics, and immunology, to spearhead preclinical research into the poorly understood host-pathogen interface in mycobacterial infections, and to improve the knowledge flow between the TB and NTM research fields. In this unique combination, we will address key research questions from the pathogen side, from the host side, and from a translational perspective. First, the roles of mycobacterial secretion systems and secreted virulence factors in NTM lung infections are currently unknown and different from those in TB. We aim to uncover how these elusive virulence mechanisms function to let mycobacteria establish their intracellular niche. Second, we aim to identify key host factors that control the intracellular trafficking of mycobacteria in TB and NTM infections, and that mediate the cell death pathways that mycobacteria induce to optimize their growth conditions. Third, we aim to target these host pathways by drug repurposing strategies to enhance the intracellular killing of mycobacterial pathogens. We will include clinical isolates from TB and NTM patients in these investigations to assess the therapeutic potential. This project will break new ground by: 1) Delivering mechanistic understanding of the similarities and differences in host evasion strategies of mycobacteria in TB and NTM infections, 2) Revealing the host defense processes that most effectively restrict intracellular mycobacterial growth, and 3) Providing clues to intervene with these host-pathogen interaction mechanisms to improve the clinical outcome of mycobacterial infections.

Worldwide the number of refugees is increasing. Refugee women are at continuous risk for experiencing sexual and gender based violence (SGBV), and SGBV has enormous consequences for their health, integration and participation. Refugee women experience barriers in accessing formal care and simultaneously, their social networks are limited. Peer support groups are an accessible way for support and discussing SGBV. Although community care organizations know how to reach these women, barriers exist for structural implementation of peer support groups. In this project, the accessibility of peer support groups for these women and their implementation in care chains will be explored.

Biobanks are collections of samples, data and images of individuals taken at different stages of their lives, either when they are ill or when they are healthy. They have agreed to take part in health-checks or population health studies. Biobanks are a vital source of information for fundamental and translational biomedical research aimed at the development of better predictive, preventive, personalized and participatory (‘4P’) health care. Historically, Dutch biobanks were developed independently, based on, for example, research interest, local or regional activities, or clinical discipline. Today, in the era of genomics and modern imaging, there is an urgent need to connect the extremely valuable information held in biobanks through a large-scale, standardized biobank infrastructure to avoid redundancy, create efficient research workflows, streamline and facilitate data access, and optimally link various sorts of data. Such a national biobank infrastructure will enable efficient health monitoring, validation of life style interventions and other ways to prevent disease, deliver better diagnostics and therapeutics, and expand the leading position of the Netherlands in international biomedical research. A large-scale biobank infrastructure is also essential to help generate the ‘evidence base’ required by registration and reimbursement authorities to assess the impact/quality/cost-benefit ratio of screening programmes, medications and treatments. The Netherlands is currently one of the world-leaders in biobanking with respect to both the number of its biobanks and the amount of material held by them, and in terms of its internationally knowledged expertise. In recent years, several important nationwide initiatives have been undertaken to organize and professionalize biobanking, including the String of Pearls Initiative (PSI), the European Population Imaging Infrastructure (EPI2), and the Translational Research IT project of the Centre for Translational Molecular Medicine (CTMM-TraIT). BBMRI-NL (Biobanking and BioMolecular Research Infrastructure Netherlands) was established to align, connect, complement and enrich biobanks, and to lay the groundwork for a robust national biobank facility. The first phase of BBMRI-NL (BBMRI-NL1.0; 2009-present) was highly successful and united 193 Dutch biobanks (population and clinical), jointly containing materials and data from >900,000 individuals, ~13 million biobanked samples, and a wide spectrum of accessory data. It lay the foundation for a well-organized national biobanking infrastructure for Dutch biomedical research. BBMRI-NL is the Dutch hub of the BBMRI ERIC (BBMRI European Research Infrastructure Consortium) and is closely aligned with major European initiatives and ‘Grand Challenges’ in the European Framework programme (e.g. Healthy Aging in Horizon 2020), and national initiatives, like the Life Sciences & Health ‘top sector’. With the recent complementary initiatives of EPI2 and CTMM-TraIT and major extra funding for data collection in specific sub-populations (notably the ‘Deltaplan Dementia’), the time has come to make the next decisive step towards a truly nationally integrated ‘NL Biobank Research Facility’ with BBMRI-NL2.0. In the future, biobanking will increasingly be integrated with health care. BBMRI-NL 2.0 will allow biomedical researchers to contribute to ‘4P’ medicine by linking diverse data sets through coordinated access to biomedical resources, technologies, standards and know-how, supported with cutting-edge IT systems and tools, and by providing tools for the standardization and harmonization of data, and its long-term storage. BBMRI-NL2.0 presents a unique opportunity to bring together Dutch biobank and imaging collections that are among the largest in Europe, building on proven success and extensive expertise in the compilation and analysis of such extensive datasets. BBMRI-NL2.0 will enable fully integrated access for research on how genetic and environmental factors contribute to disease. The research results from BBMRI-NL2.0 will drive new and improved ways to diagnose and predict disease, and highlight factors critical to disease prevention, healthy ageing or optimal development, and thus to the quality of life. It will cement the Netherlands’ leading position in biobank-based biomedical research. The envisioned NL-Biobank, with its content ranging from genes, molecules and images to their clinical cognate, will provide a unique repository of integrated data that optimally prepares the Netherlands for the challenges of Horizon 2020 and makes BBMRI-NL2.0 a highly visible and attractive partner for international collaborations.

SpringLab VU – het ‘Students as Partners’ (SaP) platform van de Faculteit der Geneeskunde Vrije Universiteit - is sinds haar start gegroeid tot één van de meest aansprekende en vernieuwende onderwijsinitiatieven binnen onze universiteit. In samenwerking met studenten is een plek gecreëerd, waar op basis van de behoeften van studenten, onderwijs in co-creatie wordt verzorgd. De student staat centraal en werkt samen met experts in het verzorgen van onderwijs. De nadruk ligt op het stimuleren van de intrinsieke motivatie van de student. Het gaat om het stimuleren van nieuwsgierigheid van studenten in (en buiten) hun vakgebied, in de breedte en diepte - i.e. verschillende niveaus. Het Centre for Teaching and Learning (CTL) van de VU faciliteert sterke samenwerkingen tussen SaP-projecten. Hierom heeft het CTL voorgesteld om deze voordracht te doen, met als doel SpringLab VU op te schalen naar andere opleidingen van de VU. De opzet van SpringLab leent zich voor een trans- en interdisciplinaire aanpak, waarbij samen met studenten van andere opleidingen gemeenschappelijke doelen cq. opleidingsvraagstukken geïdentificeerd gaan worden. We beogen de invulling van SpringLab-lessen en activiteiten aan te passen op basis van de behoeften van studenten terwijl de blauwdruk van de organisatiestructuur en kwaliteitswaarborging van SpringLab wordt behouden. Hiermee moedigen we studenten aan om actief deel te nemen aan de ontwikkeling van het nieuwe SpringLab-model. Studenten doen door het kunnen uitdiepen van eigen interesses, al vroeg in hun opleiding, naast onderwijs- en inhoudelijke ervaring, extra ervaring op in persoonlijke ontwikkeling en aansluiting op het toekomstig werkveld en maatschappij.