Euretos co-founds Metabolomics lab addressing Covid-19 as a first use case
Euretos joined a world leading consortium of universities and companies to co-found the Phenomix Fieldlab at the Leiden Bio Science Park. One of the first cases of the Phenomix fieldlab is to unravel the molecular mechanisms of Covid-19 and, based on this, determine the best treatment options for specific types of patients.
In this metabolomics lab, internationally renowned scientists from the Leiden University and Erasmus Medical Centre, (together forming the Medical Delta) work closely together with companies and healthcare institutions in the region. In Phenomix, Euretos contributes its world leading capability in AI & data-driven analysis to understand the molecular and metabolomic processes underlying the observed phenotypes and disorders. “This is a good example of how scientists, doctors and the industry can work together. Metabolomics can deliver important benefits not only for the individual patient, but for healthcare as a whole” says Medical Delta professor Thomas Hankemeier (Leiden Academic Centre for Drug Research), one of the initiators of the field lab. “This also applies to other sectors and companies, for example in the food industry.”
One of the first use cases the Phenomix lab is focusing on is Covid-19. How is it that some COVID-19 patients become seriously ill and others do not? Why do serious infections occur only in some patients? Why do patients respond so differently to treatment?
Within the field lab, metabolic profiles of patients were created and organ-on-a-chip models based on Mimetas OrganoPlates demonstrated the molecular impact of the SARS-Cov-2 virus on COVID-19 symptoms, such as vascular leakage and thrombosis. From the Euretos platform, researchers evaluate potential explanatory mechanisms that link the metabolic profile to the observed symptoms. Step by step, this process creates an increasingly clearer picture linking specific patient profiles to various symptoms.
“In this cycle of data acquisition, analysis, rationalization and then further elaboration on key observations through further measurements and experimentation, the field lab clearly proves its added value,” says Arie Baak, co-founder of Euretos. The field lab accelerates and improves this process as physicians, technicians and scientists are collaborating continuously on understanding the observations. In addition, the field lab is at the forefront of using the latest technologies and process automation. This not only provides new insights, it also significantly speeds up the process from ‘sample to analysis’.
On the basis of the biological patient profiles, consisting of both genetic and metabolic characteristics, the project expects to better understand the underlying mechanisms explaining the difference in disease progression of COVID-19 patients. This will help to find better treatment for patients. Ultimately, the aim is that a physician will be able to determine on the basis of a blood sample what are the best treatment options for each individual patient. Certain medication can be crucial to slow down a runaway immune system for one patient, but what you don’t want is for the virus to run wild by unnecessarily suppressing the immune reaction for other patients. “Ultimately, our collaboration should help doctors quickly and effectively make these kinds of treatment choices.”
Source: Euretos (Press release)
