Thanks to this boost, the CPBT can accelerate the transition to animal-free biomedical translation, according to the National Growth Fund. Additionally, the Netherlands will benefit with more affordable medicines, medical technologies, and nutrition. The CPBT is being realized by a core consortium of leading parties - University Utrecht, UMC Utrecht, Hogeschool Utrecht, and RIVM - in collaboration with public and private partners. From the total allocation, approximately 1,4 million will go to research within the Donders Institute.
Neurons and fibres
Erik Storkebaum commented, "Within this project, we will conduct experiments with mice that have diseases affecting their motor skills. We want to see if the results of tests without laboratory animals, such as experiments with cultured motor neurons and muscle fibres, are comparable to what we observe in mouse models that actually have the disease. While we strive for animal-free biomedical research, the use of mouse models in the search for new and improved therapies for neurodegenerative diseases is likely to remain necessary for several more decades."
Another aspect of the research being conducted at the Donders Institute involves setting up an advanced brain-muscle-on-a-chip model for motor neurodegenerative diseases. The goal is to cultivate brain and muscle cells derived from patients on electric chips and read the activity of these cells. These are known as in vitro models, which we use to evaluate medicines. Nael Nadif Kasri stated, "If we ever want to transition to less use of laboratory animals, then this is the ideal moment to invest heavily in this area. It is important that in the coming years, we focus on testing the validity of these new in vitro models."
Consortium
The CPBT is being realized by a core consortium of leading parties - University Utrecht, UMC Utrecht, Hogeschool Utrecht, and RIVM - in collaboration with numerous public and private partners, of which the Donders Institute is one.