This article is part of aspecial series by Amsterdam Cardiovascular Sciences (ACS) in celebration of World Heart Day. In this series, we highlight innovative research projects and collaborations that contribute to the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases.
AtheroNeth: Working Together Towards Personalized Treatment of Atherosclerosis
Imagine a future where every patient with cardiovascular disease receives a treatment plan tailored precisely to their unique biology. This is the ambitious vision driving AtheroNeth — a groundbreaking Dutch research consortium uniting scientists from university medical centers in the Netherlands. By combining cutting-edge technology, large-scale data, and multidisciplinary expertise, AtheroNeth aims to unravel the complexities of atherosclerosis and pave the way for personalized therapies.
Treatment cardiovascular diseases
Although significant progress has been made in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases over the past decades, current strategies often focus on adding new medications to existing treatments, following a ‘one size fits all’ approach. This does not sufficiently account for differences between patients, including response to therapy, potential side effects, and adherence.
Towards a tailored approach
AtheroNeth aims to change this by developing stratification tools that more accurately assess the actual cardiovascular risk of patients and evaluate their response to therapy. This will allow treatments to be better tailored to the individual. This will not only increase the effectiveness of treatments but also improve patients’ quality of life.
National collaboration
Within the consortium all Dutch university medical centers join their efforts, which have been structured into several work packages. This national collaboration was successfully established by Gerard Pasterkamp (UMC Utrecht), Jeanine Roeters van Lennep (Erasmus MC), Niels Riksen (Radboud MC) and Menno de Winther (Amsterdam UMC). A couple of months ago AtheroNeth was officially launched with a kick-off meeting. All partners look forward to working together towards innovative solutions and impactful science.
the next generation of cardiovascular scientists in the Netherlands, to advance atherosclerosis research to the next level