ADORE
ADORE stands for AmsterDam Oncology and Neuroscience REsearch, and is an initiative of Amsterdam UMC Cancer Center Amsterdam, Alzheimercenter Amsterdam, MS Center Amsterdam, and Amsterdam Neuroscience. The Amsterdam UMC/VU campus comprises over 2000 oncology and neurology researchers, making it the largest onco-neuro campus worldwide. By integrating expertise in neurology and oncology, ADORE fosters interdisciplinary collaboration and facilitates the exchange of knowledge between these fields. Our mission is to tackle critical healthcare challenges related to cancer and neurodegenerative diseases. We believe that disruptive thinking outside the established disease siloes will accelerate impact. Through this approach, ADORE strives to enhance diagnostic accuracy, develop more effective and personalized therapies, and ultimately improve treatment outcomes for these complex conditions.
ADORE 10-Year Strategic Goals
Transformative Therapies
• Develop effective therapies for each of the following neurodegenerative diseases: Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Parkinson’s disease (PD), Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Multiple sclerosis (MS)
• Deliver innovative cancer therapies, with a strong focus on hard-to-treat cancers, and strategically prioritizing novel molecules, repurposed medicine, and cellular and immune therapies
Biomarker Discovery & Advanced diagnostics
• Identify new biomarkers for prediction e.g. companion diagnostics & response monitoring, and disease subtyping in neurodegenerative diseases and cancers.
• Implement advanced diagnostic technologies, including imaging, point-of-care devices, AI, and NGS for rapid diagnoses and disease monitoring, with the goal of deploying new diagnostic platforms in clinical settings.
Precision Medicine & Targeted Treatment Optimization
• Develop targeted therapies & Optimize drug delivery and dosage to maximize effectiveness and minimize harm reducing treatment-related side-effects
• Enable personalized treatment response prediction through -omics, advanced imaging, and AI, aiming to achieve improvement in treatment outcomes
Accelerating impact for Neurodegenerative disorders and Cancers
Pillar of the ADORE ecosystem: infrastructure
In October 2024, ADORE inaugurated its Research & Diagnostics Center, a cutting-edge facility designed to accelerate breakthroughs at the intersection of oncology and neurodegeneration. By bringing together experts from both fields, the center fosters interdisciplinary collaboration, enabling researchers to uncover shared disease mechanisms and develop innovative diagnostic and therapeutic strategies.
Equipped with state-of-the-art laboratories and advanced technologies, the center provides an optimal environment for high-impact research. Key facilities include:
Whole-Body PET Scanner – Enabling high-resolution molecular imaging for precise disease detection, progression tracking, and therapy monitoring.
Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products (ATMP) Labs – Supporting the development and manufacturing of gene and cell-based therapies.
CRISPR Platform – Facilitating genome editing research to explore disease mechanisms and develop targeted interventions.
CANDIDATE Center – A central unit for target- and drug discovery to identify novel treatments for CNS disorders.
Genomics Core Facility – Providing next-generation sequencing (NGS) and other genomic tec
hnologies to drive precision medicine and rare mutation identification.
Cyclotron – Produces radiopharmaceuticals for advanced diagnostics and targeted treatments
The Research & Diagnostics Center serves as a collaborative hub where among others molecular biologists, clinicians, imaging scientists, biocomputation and AI specialists, neuroscientists, pharmacologists, and immunologists work together to bridge the gap between fundamental research, diagnostics, and therapy development. By integrating expertise across these fields, ADORE fosters a dynamic research environment that connects laboratory discoveries to clinical applications, ensuring that advancements in precision diagnostics, biomarker-driven treatments, and next-generation therapies translate into real-world patient benefits.
Researchers from all disciplines are encouraged to engage with the center, leverage its cutting-edge facilities, and collaborate on the next generation of transformative discoveries.