Naam/titel subtitel bodytekst 64 <strong>Translational</strong> <strong>Medicine</strong>
“<strong>Translational</strong> <strong>Medicine</strong> is not the Holy Grail, but it really makes science better.” Jorg van Loosdregt, <strong>Translational</strong> Immunology Researcher, Group Leader of the van Loosdregt/Vastert group Bas Vastert, Pediatric Rheumatologist and Researcher, Group Leader of the van Loosdregt/Vastert group “Working together with Bas, a pediatrician, makes my work more relevant and more fun”, says Jorg, a basic researcher. “As a fundamental scientist, I learn a lot from Bas about disease, disease mechanisms, how patients feel, and what they find important. This applies to all members of our research group: we learn a lot from each other. We perform clinical trials based on fundamental research we did in the lab, and that is just one example of many tangible results of our collaboration.” Bas continues, “I need this environment of smart scientists, with the focus and time to work on clinically relevant problems. Science gets better when people are continually present for brainstorming and problem solving. We both explicitly opted for <strong>Translational</strong> <strong>Medicine</strong>. To us, it is the missing link to make science relevant. <strong>Translational</strong> <strong>Medicine</strong> is not the Holy Grail, but it really makes sciences better.” The van Loosdregt/ Vastert lab is engaged in clinical science, but also in fundamental science. Since these are the two extremes, everything in between is also present in the group. Jorg explains, “We do super-fundamental DNA and RNA research, and we try to understand the biology of disease.” Bas adds, “But it all has to be translatable, it has to have impact on our patients. It is unrealistic to think that we can develop a new drug in a couple of years, but we can make smarter use of existing drugs, combine drugs in different ways, or put the right drugs in the right order for our patients. Embedding our efforts in a bigger organization or context is very important. We cannot do this alone in our group; we need local support. We also need to work with powerful partners, so that we have sufficient budget and freedom to do our work. We definitely see a transition here at the University Medical Center Utrecht in favor of <strong>Translational</strong> <strong>Medicine</strong>, but there is a long road ahead of us.” For Bas and Jorg it is obvious that working as a team has a clear advantage, and that patients benefit from this collaboration. They joke, “We can’t turn back anymore.” But more seriously, they add, “We really believe in <strong>Translational</strong> <strong>Medicine</strong> and that it will improve patient care.” UMC Utrecht 65