The Amsterdam Approach: optimizing care and research

Abstract

AbstractAlzheimer Center Amsterdam of Amsterdam UMC, the Netherlands, was founded in 2000. Research is embedded in the pan‐Amsterdam research institute Amsterdam Neuroscience. Alzheimer Center Amsterdam is part of the department of Neurology, and closely collaborates with many departments including Radiology & Nuclear Medicine, Clinical Chemistry, Clinical Genetics, Clinical Neurophysiology and Medical Psychology, as well as across campus for Basic Sciences. The Amsterdam Research Ecosystem furthermore involves the Industry Alliance Office, which facilitates collaborations with private partners. For conduct of clinical trials, we collaborate with Brain Research Center, an independent organization dedicated to execution of pharmaceutical trials.Alzheimer Center Amsterdam has a 15 person staff, including neurologists, epidemiologists and neuroscientists. We employ ∼100ft personnel, mostly PhD students, research assistants and postdocs, working on Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative diseases causing dementia.Our mission is to achieve personalized medicine, with a particular focus on early onset dementia. Research efforts focus on (1) finding the origin of disease, (2) diagnosis & prognosis, and (3) intervention & prevention. It is our vision that patient care and research should go in hand, to achieve the urgently needed breakthroughs. Together, all patients form the Amsterdam Dementia Cohort, to date counting over 7000 individuals.We also have a keen eye for societal outreach. All colleagues, from junior to senior, reach out to society, e.g. via lectures, blogs or (social) media. Our initiative “Alzheimersocks.nl” increases awareness, while also raising research funds. We accelerate brain research on a national level via hersenonderzoek.nl, an online platform to link Dutch citizens to brain researchers looking for participants. Hersenonderzoek.nl has been highly successful, with over 35,000 registrants, >80 studies serviced with >25.000 participants.Alzheimer Center Amsterdam is one of five Dutch Alzheimer Centers, closely working with Alzheimer Nederland. We have initiated the Dutch Memory Clinic Network, connecting the >80 Dutch memory clinics, to foster harmonization and pave the way for implementation of research results. We take the lead in (national) consortia because collaboration accelerates research. An example is the ABOARD project (www.aboard‐project.nl), which is a public‐private consortium of >30 partners, with the mission to work towards personalized medicine for AD.