King visits UM institute MERLN
Today His Majesty King Willem-Alexander paid a working visit to the UM Institute for Technology-Inspired Regenerative Medicine (MERLN). The king was informed of the latest developments in regenerative medicine by his host, Professor Clemens van Blitterswijk, in the presence of UM Executive Board president Professor Martin Paul, Governor Theo Bovens and Mayor Onno Hoes.
Van Blitterswijk's research group is specialised in developing new technologies that can be applied in regenerative medicine. One area of his group's research is in the development of 'smart' biomaterials to repair tissue using the patient's own stem cells.
Three clinically relevant themes were discussed during the working visit: regeneration of the locomotor apparatus, cardiovascular system and organs. Each theme showed how the interaction between universities, university spin-offs and industry can contribute to the quality of life, the quality of science and the strength of the Dutch economy.
The king discussed these themes with the scientists and business people who are involved in the various stages of the process: from developing the idea, transforming the idea into a spin-off company (such as Materiomics), the transition from a spin-off to an SME that sells products (such as Xeltis) and development into a major, large-turnover, international company (such as Medtronic). The king later visited the MERLN laboratory where researchers briefly explained to him the different technologies they were working on.
Also read
-
In the upcoming months, we’ll share tips on Instagram for our students on how to live a healthier life. Not just a random collection, but tips based on actual research happening at our faculty. The brains behind this idea are Lieve Vonken and Gido Metz, PhD candidates at CAPHRI, the Care and Public...
-
Ageing well isn’t just about physique. It also means being aware of a healthy brain. To prevent dementia, Martin van Boxtel and his colleagues from ‘Alzheimer Centrum Limburg’ founded the Maastricht Ageing Study (MAAS) 30 years ago. MAAS kept track of 2043 people over 25 years in a longitudinal...
-
Can urine be used to detect renal cell carcinoma? The current approach in the case of small renal masses is in most cases a precautionary partial or complete removal of the kidney, without knowing whether the mass is benign or malignant. Molecular epidemiologist Kim Smits is working at MUMC+ on a...