UMC Utrecht's renowned academic medical center and its commitment to improving patient care
UMCU is driving advancements in regenerative medicine and fostering ethical considerations in emerging healthcare technologies
Founded in 1636 and based in the Netherlands, it has approximately 12,000 employees, including medical staff, nursing staff, residents, support personnel, and researchers. It is also one of the largest hospitals in the country. In addition, Utrecht University (UU), which is affiliated with UMCU, is ranked as the best university in the Netherlands and number 49 worldwide.
UMC Utrecht is an internationally renowned research and teaching hospital that specializes in oncology, neurology, cardiovascular medicine, and pediatrics. They aim to improve healthcare for patients and society by generating, testing, sharing, and applying knowledge. Utrecht is also a leader in regenerative medicine with the Regenerative Medicine Center Utrecht, which includes UMCU, Utrecht University, Hubrecht Institute, and WKZ. The center focuses on biofabrication, translational research in organoids, and new regenerative medicine-based treatments for hematologic disorders, cartilage, and cardiac valve problems.
UMCU plays a crucial role in INKplant's project to develop innovative personalized 3D scaffolds for regenerative medicine. The medical center leads are involved in identifying the ethical challenges of these emerging technologies through a review of the literature and scrutinizing specific use cases within the project. Moreover, it organizes an user acceptance study in which different stakeholder perspectives are collected and analyzed. Additionally, it leads an interactive art experience in which they explore the intimate relationship between humans and technology. Lastly, it contributes to WP10 by actively disseminating and exploiting the project's results.
The Department of Bioethics and Health Humanities at UMCU has researchers with vast experience in the ethics of emerging technology, research ethics, and the development of guidelines. Prof. Bredenoord is actively involved in international ethics policy-making and has led numerous national and international ethics projects as a PI.
UMCU's expertise in ethics and emerging biotechnology, as well as its participation in numerous projects, make it well-equipped to lead and contribute to the success of the INKplant project.
