Throwback For Each Other 2021: research on 'living' implants

16-11-2022 | 12:42

In the Netherlands, 100.000 people have type 1 diabetes. Patients must continually self-inject insulin or wear a pump, which is time-consuming, stressful and painful. Dr. Aart van Apeldoorn and his team are researching implants made entirely of living cells. With those, insulin use would no longer be necessary. The knowledge and experience to develop these implants are there, but the financial support was still lacking. Thanks to donations from the Annual Fund Campaign 2021, the team can start working on a prototype: a first step towards a widely applicable treatment.

Dr. Van Apeldoorn: 'We want to create an environment as natural as possible, in which the beta cells can survive and function optimally, and synthetic materials fall short in this respect. That's why we have started with the development of a new generation of implants, switching entirely to body-specific materials. The goal is to build a kind of organ that mimics the insulin-producing ability of the pancreas.'

Annual Fund Campaign 
It has almost been a year since we celebrated the success of our campaign 'For Each Other 2021'. How are things going, what are the project owners working on with the help of your donations, and which dreams and goals are they still pursuing? Before we kick off this year's campaign 'For Each Other 2022: towards an equal society', we would like to update you on the four special projects of 2021, that all contribute to a healthy future.