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Prof. Daisy Jonkers
Institute Presentation
Maastricht University Medical Centre (MUMC) is collaboration between the University of Maastricht and the Academic Hospital Maastricht. NUTRIM School for Nutrition, Toxicology and Metabolism of Maastricht University Medical Centre + (MUMC+) initiates and catalyzes translational research into nutritional health benefits and risks focussing on metabolic and chronic inflammatory diseases. In 1991 the division of gastroenterology of the MUMC
started a population-based cohort of all the inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients in the South-Limburg area of the Netherlands trough collaboration of all the hospitals in the region (2 regional hospitals and MUMC). South-Limburg is a geographically well-defined area with a relatively stable population. In January 2011 we obtained ethical approval to start a biobank project of this population based IBD cohort (3500 patients) and partners and parents of patients. Demographic data and data regarding disease phenotype is stored in a web-based data warehouse and updated every 6 months. Serum, plasma, DNA and stool samples of 1200 IBD patients were already stored in this ongoing project on November 1st 2011. Biopsies and resection specimen are available for a subset of the patients. Disease activity and phenotype of the patients followed in the MUMC outpatient IBD clinic are automatically noted in the data-warehouse at each visit to the hospital. All the biomaterials are stored in the fully automated ISO 1900 certified biobank of the MUMC. The IBD-South Limburg biobank is the only prospective and population based biobank in the world. In other IBD biobanks patients are mainly obtained from referral centres and therefore severe cases are over represented. Part of the IBD South Limburg cohort was previously involved in the EC-IBD project (
https://cordis.europa.eu/project/rcn/28496_en.html)
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