AG&M annual report 2018

The mission and vision of the AG&M directors
this was achieved by simply meeting socially, talking
and “realizing they have something in common and can
profit from one another”.
“Whatever your expertise, the
discipline your working in, you are
part of something bigger and we
can benefit from each other.”
Yet the challenges posed by 21st century medicine
and society for a research institute standing at
the junction of nutrition, microbiology, digestion,
endocrinology and metabolism are immense. So too is
the AG&M’s ambition. Its mission statement speaks of
performing research that “promotes healthy nutrition
and metabolism, prevents or cures gastrointestinal,
endocrine and inherited and acquired metabolic
disease, and improves the well-being of our patients.”
While its vision for 2020 aims to forge its parent
hospitals’ research in gastrointestinal, endocrine and
metabolic health and disease into a single organization
with four programs, namely: re-generation and
cancer of the digestive system; digestive immunity;
endocrinology, metabolism and nutrition; and, inborn
errors of metabolism.”
https://www.amsterdamresearch.org/web/
gastroenterology-and-metabolism/home-5.htm
While there are dozens of examples of where
collaboration, economies of scale, and cross fertilization
of specialist expertise can benefit research, perhaps
three examples could be allowed to speak for the
many. With Inflammatory Bowel Disease, the VUmc
brings mucosal immunology expertise to join forces
with the clinical and fundamental research on mucosal
homeostasis in the AMC. And now with a combined
patient cohort of approximately 4,000 patients, single
center clinical trials are possible. Targeting colon cancer,
the VUmc offers research into minimally invasive
surgical techniques for resection to add to the expertise
into the cell and molecular biology of colorectal cancer
at the AMC’s Center for Experimental Molecular
Medicine (CEMM). The AMC is renowned too for its
research into autoimmune diseases of the liver, such
as Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis (PSC). This can now
benefit from the recognized expertise from the VUmc
research into autoimmune hepatitis - both research
now benefitting too from the larger patient cohort.
...there are dozens of examples of
where collaboration, economies
of scale, and cross fertilization of
specialist expertise can benefit
research,...
Ideally Van de Graaf would like to see collaboration in
research looking at a particular disease which covers
the entire path from pre-clinical studies to translation
research and clinical application.And, within this, for
connections to be made between different areas
of expertise.
...collaboration in research looking
at a particular disease which covers
the entire path from pre-clinical
studies to translation research and
clinical application.
He cites, as a current example, work being done on
endoscopy which has discovered that by disrupting
the outer lining of the duodenum by inserting a
balloon with hot water, it improves the insulin
sensitivity following regeneration. This has benefits
for diabetes. “We are not yet sure how this works but
other researchers are working on insulin regulation
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