FIT

Muscle stem cell therapy in the Euregio Meuse-Rhine

In the Euregio Meuse-Rhine, universities and companies are collaborating on a new treatment for people with muscle diseases. This is being done within the FIT project. The new therapy uses muscle stem cells from the patient themselves. This technique offers hope for people with rare muscle diseases, loss of muscle mass due to ageing or cancer, sports injuries and heart muscle diseases. There is currently no treatment for many of these diseases.

Universities in Maastricht, Leuven, Liège, Hasselt and Aachen are collaborating with companies such as Revatis, ReWrite, Scinus, and Milocron. Each partner contributes its own expertise to improve the production of muscle stem cells and strengthen their ability to form muscle fibers. Using a unique muscle fiber model developed within FIT, information is being gathered about muscle damage in patients and the effect of the new treatments. This will lead to clinical studies to test the safety and effectiveness of the therapy in patients.

The goal is to make the Euregio MR a leader in muscle stem cell therapy within three years. The project must realize a more affordable and better treatment, accessible to all patients. The acquired knowledge will be shared through an annual event, enabling researchers, physicians, and companies to directly utilize it further. This will stimulate innovation in the region.