Brussels universities join forces on Alzheimer's research via digital platform
Several Brussels universities and university hospitals are joining forces for the first time by sharing information and results from Alzheimer's research.
The Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), UZ Brussel, Université libre de Bruxelles, Erasmus Hospital, Université Catholique de Louvain and Cliniques Universitaires Saint-Luc are working together via a digital ecosystem, called Translate-AD.
Alzheimer's is the most common form of dementia in Belgium, with an estimated 200,000 people in the country suffering from the condition. Six per cent of them are under 65 years old. Although prevalence is increasing, many uncertainties about the disease remain.
With Translate-AD, the partners hope to achieve a milestone in treatment by engaging in anonymised patient data sharing for the first time. By providing for better data sharing, certain biomarkers can be identified – these are “fingerprints of disease” that can help in diagnosis. It will also help to better predict the course of the disease.
Translate-AD enables researchers to solve questions about the disease together. A well-defined research question is sent from the central research computer to the local hospital servers, after which the local server collects all relevant and anonymised data. The local server sends the results to the central research computer.
“Our three Brussels memory clinics are all recognised as European reference centres for scientific research on Alzheimer's treatment,” said VUB professor Sebastiaan Engelborghs, coordinator of the project. “This will undoubtedly lead to better diagnosis and treatment of people who have the disease or are at risk of developing symptoms.”
A scientist examines a brain MRI scan © PHOTO IMAGO
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