Hasselt University, the University of Liège, the Academic Hospital Maastricht, the Uniklinikum Aachen, imec and five companies from the Eu-region are joining forces in an effort to slow down the aging of the immune system.
Our average life expectancy is increasing, but this does not necessarily mean that we enjoy good health longer. The aging of the population is accompanied by a rise in chronic diseases: cardiovascular disorders, asthma, MS, rheumatism and so on. These diseases are based on a dysfunctional immune system that is also aging rapidly.
In the Healthy Aging project, universities, hospitals and companies in the Maas-Rhine Euregion are joining forces to identify immune system aging earlier in order to prevent or slow down this process. This project will make it possible to study large groups of patients to determine whether current biomarkers (substances in the blood that indicate and/or announce the presence of disease) can be used to help detect aging of the immune system. The most suitable biomarkers will then be used to develop biosensors in order to achieve a fast and accurate diagnoses of immune aging in (aging) patients.
Dietary supplements
Another section of the project will focus on ‘personalised health care’. Patients with chronic illnesses are currently often treated on a one-size-fits-all basis, but not all patients respond in the same way to a specific treatment or therapy.
Biomarker research will therefore be used to work on a system that supports physicians in prescribing the most suitable treatment for each individual patient. Apart from traditional medicines, the study will also focus on targeted immunotherapy and dietary supplements that can slow down aging of the immune system.
Decreasing costs
The Health Aging project aligns perfectly with the Happy Aging mission: to boost innovations in dignified aging. The project offers an exceptional opportunity to further develop expertise on aging in Limburg. It will enable the elderly to live at home longer while enjoying better health, thereby reducing costs associated with aging.
The Healthy Aging project is in keeping with the commitment of the Limburg region to innovations that lead to improved quality of life in an aging population. These innovations can originate in a wide range of sub-domains, such as assistive technology, ICT and communication, logistics, tourism and medical developments. Healthy Aging strengthens and accelerates the development process of the small and medium-sized business sector in Limburg, resulting in more jobs and stronger innovation in the growth sectors of the future, while at the same time facilitating the internationalisation of these activities.
Source: Limburg.be
