National Health (album)

Health-RI, interconnected national Research Infrastructure Personalized Medicine & Health

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• published: 04 Nov 2016
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If we could predict disease course and treatment response based on biological factors, we could offer each of us a tailored treatment. This is called personalized medicine. Similarly, we can promote health and prevent disease: personalized health. To enable personalized medicine and health, scientists study large groups of patients and healthy citizens for longer periods of time. They investigate how individual biological differences influence our health. Over one million Dutch people have already made biomaterial and health data available for such research. For instance, the relationship between genetic characteristics and the probability of success of a certain chemotherapy is studied. Or the probability of getting diabetes and how to prevent this. In the Netherlands, these studies are performed at numerous locations, usually independent from each other. This is inefficient, especially because data of many citizens and high-end technology from multiple research disciplines are required to properly map such relationships. To improve collaboration and data sharing, a new generation research infrastructure is required. Therefore, several Dutch research organisations have jointly developed the Health-RI initiative. Health-RI stands for ‘Health research infrastructure’. It offers a clear vision and roadmap to establish a single interconnected national infrastructure for personalized medicine and health research. Health-RI organises this infrastructure and implements the Dutch ‘Open Science’ policy by making knowledge, equipment and research data optimally accessible for research. An active role for us as citizens is an essential starting point. This requires secure and user-friendly technology, which we can use to personally participate in research, while being assured that our privacy is protected. Health-RI already is an important goal for many organizations in the Netherlands. To be truly successful, we need to invest and join forces now, from industry to government and from citizen to academy. This is the only way to realize sustainable and affordable personalized medicine and health. The initiative aims to provide health benefits for everyone, impetus to Dutch science and innovation, and an active Dutch involvement in European initiatives.