Cardiovascular disease remains the most common cause of death in industrialized countries. Hence, major efforts have been made to improve treatment and clinical outcome of patients with arterial occlusive diseases (peripheral artery disease and coronary heart disease). Despite recent technological progress, a large number of patients suffering from arterial occlusive diseases is not eligible or does not profit from current therapies, requiring alternative approaches such as neovascularization therapies. Formation of new blood vessels is a natural process occurring in organs such as the heart or limb muscles after ischemic damage. The understanding of the biology of neovascularization is very advanced and there is a growing number of potentially effective therapeutic agents to stimulate or enhance ongoing neovascularization. In spite of these opportunities, translation to therapeutic neovascularization has been slow.

MagnaMedics Diagnostics BV moved on December 2008 from Maastricht Biopartner Centre to the new Chemelot Research & Business Campus in Geleen. “We have passed our start-up phase,” says MagnaMedics’ CSO-CEO Paul Borm. “At Chemelot we can use the available know-how and facilities on new materials, to further extend our production and markets. Download here the article in Link magazine (german).

UPDATE July 1st 2009: Click here to read the Dutch article in 'Limburg Onderneemt' about the inovation at Chemelot.