Three Dutch public private partnerships bundle top research groups in universities, knowledge institutes and academic medical centres with global companies, medium sized enterprises as well as high tech start-ups, to improve therapies and give a boost to life sciences research and development.

 

Improved health and healthcare require innovations in three interconnecting areas: Diagnosis, Drugs, and Devices. An early and accurate diagnosis is crucial to minimize or prevent development of a disease and to define the appropriate medical treatment or follow the result of a treatment (for example via imaging techniques). To treat symptoms of a disease or modify the disease progression, drugs are the crucial active ingredient in medical treatment and therapies.

For an efficient and effective application of drugs as well as to treat certain specific symptoms, purpose designed devices are required. These devices include drug carriers for improved targeting and/or controlled release as well as scaffolds for tissue engineering for the functional repair and regeneration of tissue and eventually organs.