Important grant for collaboration in research on early detection of lung cancer, COPD and cardiovascular diseases

UMCG radiologist Prof. Matthijs Oudkerk has been awarded a grant of € 1.8 million by the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW) for a collaborative project with the ChangZheng Hospital in Shanghai (China), Shanghai General Hospital and Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital/Center for Medical Imaging Tianjin. The Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) is contributing the same amount towards this joint research project. The goal of this collaboration is to initiate research into using the newest CT techniques to enable early diagnosis of lung cancer, COPD and cardiovascular diseases.

Lung cancer, COPD and cardiovascular diseases are very common among the general public. Early detection and diagnosis play a key role in these illnesses as timely treatment can result in recovery or prevention. By 2050, these three illnesses are expected to be the main causes of death both in China and in the West. This is why prevention and early treatment are growing in importance.

The objective of this collaborative project is to improve the early detection of lung cancer, COPD and cardiovascular diseases. To this end the researchers use the newest ultra-low dosage CT techniques. This allows them to identify the biomarkers of lung cancer, COPD and cardiovascular diseases at a very early stage. These techniques also allow researchers to find new biomarkers that are associated with these diseases. In combination with several clinical and laboratory studies, this approach promises to open new possibilities for effective prevention or early treatment. It might also represent a major step in the field of personalized medicine.

The study (entitled NELCIN-B3) will be conducted in the Netherlands with the help of participants in the large-scale LifeLines study. LifeLines follows the health of more than 167,000 participants over a period of 30 years. The researchers will be comparing results from the Netherlands and China.

Earlier this week the collaboration agreements with the Chinese partners in Shanghai and Beijing were signed at the Dutch Embassy in the course of a trade mission led by State Secretary Martin van Rijn.

The research is initially planned to last five years. Prof. Oudkerk is collaborating on this project with Prof. ShiYuan Liu, Project Leader in Radiology at Shanghai ChangZheng Hospital. The research project was assessed and will be managed by the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW) and co-financed by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science. The Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) in Beijing is responsible for assessing and financing the Chinese part of the project. This grant was awarded on the basis of the KNAW’s Strategic Alliances Programme (PSA).

Source: news release UMCG