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Psychologists participate in high-tech biomarker research in health care

Next generation immunodermatology (NGID) is a nationwide, large-scale project, funded by a large grant of the Dutch NWO to unravel novel biomarkers for six different skin diseases. These biomarkers will drive a high-tech, patient-centric approach in clinical practice. Health psychologist Sylvia van Beugen will lead a work package in collaboration with her colleague Andrea Evers.

In the Netherlands over 2.5 million patients suffer from chronic inflammatory skin diseases. Although not life-threatening, the personal impact and socio-economic costs of these chronic conditions are very high. The biggest problem is that many treatments are not suited for every patient and often do not work.

Work package

Sylvia van Beugen will lead a work package within this consortium in collaboration with Andrea Evers, her colleague at the Unit Health, Medical and Neuropsychology of Leiden University. The work package aims to uncover the influence of psychological and behavioural markers on disease outcomes. These are incorporated into patient-specific fingerprints to predict the most effective, personalized treatment for patients. 

'For many patients it is a long quest to find an effective and good treatment.'

Ilse van Ee (Dutch psoriasis patient association): 'The Next generation immunodermatology (NGID) should enable a more rational and targeted treatment of skin diseases. I expect a big impact on Dutch patient care in dermatology.'

Next generation immunodermatology (NGID)

Next generation immunodermatology (NGID) will tackle this problem and will develop the right care for the right patient at the right time. Within this 6-year project six inflammatory skin diseases will be investigated in ultra-high detail. For this approach, a unique, international consortium consisting of scientific institutes, universities, high-tech companies, hospitals, patient associations and (bio)pharmaceutical industry has been setup. Dermatologists from all Dutch University Medical Centers will be connected to biologists, bio-informaticians, statisticians, behavioural scientists, communication researchers and of course to the patient. By means of a new data analysis and integration approach, NGID will make patient-specific fingerprints that will guide the best care for the individual patient in the future.

The Dutch Research Council (NWO) has, within the framework of Research along Routes by Consortia (NWA-ORC), awarded the research project Next Generation Immuno-Dermatology (NGID) with a grant of 11.7 MEuro. From Leiden 5 different institutes will be participating in the project: Leiden Academic Centre for Drug Research (LACDR), Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences (FSW), Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC), Hogeschool Leiden (HSL) and the Centre for Human Drug Research (CHDR). 

Leiden participation

Prof. Robert Rissmann (Leiden Academic Centre for Drug Research, Leiden University) will be fulfilling the coordinating role for the project Next generation immunodermatology (NGID).

The following Leiden investigators will be participating:

  • Prof. Hankemeier (LACDR – metabolomics)
  • Prof. Bouwstra (LACDR - lipidmomics)
  • Prof. Evers and Dr van Beugen (FSW – behavioural and psychological markers)
  • Prof. Lelieveldt (LUMC and TU Delft, data visualisation and data integration)
  • Prof. Koning (LUMC - immunology and spatial omics)
  • Prof. Huizinga (LUMC – rheumatology)
  • Prof. Vermeer (LUMC – clinical dermatology) and Dr. El Ghalbzouri (LUMC – translational dermatology) 
  • Dr. Lindenburg and Dr. Kaal (Hogeschool Leiden - metabolomics)
  • Dr. Exadaktylos (CHDR – remote trials)
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