The official MedZine Blog

After years of discussion, scientists finally seem to have found the answer to what determines our behaviour: genetics or environmental factors. Apparently, no clear distinction can be made between the two, because both contribute equally. This simultaneously implies that every trait is hereditary, in contrast to previous assumptions. The VU Amsterdam and the University of Queensland, Brisbane, presented the results of the largest twin study yet in Nature Genetics. Continue reading

The accumulation of amyloid in brain tissue is an early sign of Alzheimer’s disease. An elaborate study from the VUmc Alzheimer Centre and the University Medical Centre of Maastricht has now identified these plaques in ten percent of healthy fifty year-olds. Furthermore, the protein accumulations seem to occur more frequent in people with a higher education. These results were published in JAMA. Continue reading

Last Friday a 3D printer for cartilage implants was put into practice in the VU medical centre in Amsterdam. The machine has been specially designed to produce models of living cells and biomaterials. From now on, customised cartilage ears and noses can be manufactured for each patient. Continue reading

At the Dutch Medicines Days (DMD), the Galen awards have been presented. Led by a jury, these awards are presented anually to one researcher and one drug that is the most innovative and meaningful. This year’s best researcher was Tom Würdinger, PhD of the neuro-oncology group at the VUmc, Amsterdam. The award for the best drug went to Kalydeco from Vertex, a compound indicated for cystic fibrosis (CF). Continue reading

For the first time, scientists of the university of Georgetown (US), found biomarkers for Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) in blood samples, which were present before any visible symptoms of AD were visible. Last weekend, they published their results in Nature Medicine. These biomarkers could detect AD two to three years before any detectable memory or function loss. MedZine spoke about this development to prof. dr. Philip Scheltens, who is a professor in cognitive neurology and director of the Alzheimer Center at the VU medical center in Amsterdam, and dr. ir. Charlotte Teunissen, who is head of the neurochemistry laboratory at the VU medical center in Amsterdam and an expert on AD biomarkers. Continue reading