Grants given to young academics have a multi layered effect; they can bring innovative research results in the exact direction the institute is aiming for; they often bring new, multidisciplinary research collaboration, and can give young aspiring academics the push they want in their career.
Below are some testimonials from AMS laureates, which show what the AMS grants have brought them.
Tenure development grant 2017
Dimitra Micha
Osteogenesis Imperfecta (OI) is a genetic disease of osteoporosis and skeletal dysplasia, resulting in numerous bone fractures during the patients’ lifetime. The molecular cause is defects in collagen type I. Despite being classified as a rare disease, OI is the most common genetic disease of decreased bone mineral density; in the Netherlands only, at least 1,000 patients exist.
The AMS innovation grant gave us the opportunity to address the diagnosis and treatment of OI. By screening OI patients with no mutations in the known causative OI genes, we identified the gene KDELR2 as a new genetic cause for OI revealing a new pathological mechanism for the disease (AJHG, 2020). This gene is now being used in the molecular diagnosis of OI patients.
AMS also enabled us to proceed with the preclinical validation of collagen-upregulating compounds as therapy for osteoporosis. These compounds have been shown in an in vitro model, to stimulate collagen production in osteoblasts derived from OI patients with collagen deficiency. Their current analysis in osteoporosis models will address their effectiveness in the treatment of OI and other forms of osteoporosis to hopefully justify their transition to clinical trials.
More on Dimitra Micha.
AMS Laureates 2017
| Name researcher | Type grant | Project title | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dimitra Micha | Tenure development | Old drugs with new indications ease the path to the clinic for rare bone disorders | €120.000 |
| Marike van der Schaaf | Tenure development | Exercise physiology in critically ill patients | €120.000 |
| Alessandro Chiarotto | Post-doc career | Optimizing physical functioning measurement in low back pain | €60.000 |
| Kaj Emanuel | Post-doc career | The effect of knee osteoarthritis on passive natural knee kinematics | €60.000 |
| Guus Reurink | Post-doc career | Innovative tools and interventions to prevent muscle injuries, optimise treatment of injured athletes and increase (elite) sports performance | €60.000 |
| Nathalie Bravenboer | Grant application | A novel cell culture platform | €25.000 |
| Sicco Bus | Grant application | The prevention of foot ulceration and amputation in diabetes | €25.000 |
| Merel Brehm | Infrastructure | C-Mill (Motek-Forcelink) instrumented treadmill | €50.000 |
| Harald Thune Jørstad | Infrastructure | MRI-compatible ergometer (Cardiac MRI during physiological exercise: a new gold standard for stress imaging) | €50.000 |
| Carel Meskers | Infrastructure | PROFITS - DPM: PRecision prOFiling to Improve long-term ouTcome after Stroke: Dynamic Prognosis Module / GEMSTRACKER platform | €50.000 |
| Evert Verhagen | Infrastructure | Opti-Form Database | €50.000 |
| Carel Meskers | Investment grant | Activity monitors & license | €8.077 |
| Erwin van Wegen | Investment grant | Sensory feedback for Grail VR system | €8.213 |
| Vera Meekes | RMA-student grant | The use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to assess skeletal muscle characteristics | €3.000 |
| Marit Zandbergen | RMA-student grant | The effect of different foot models on the simulated muscle-tendon lengths of the gastrocnemius medialis and lateralis in both children with spastic cerebral palsy and typically developing children | €3.000 |