Press Release
LIH Unveils Its 2023 Annual Report: A Year of Unprecedented Achievements in Translational Research
The Luxembourg Institute of Health (LIH) has published its 2023 Annual Report, highlighting significant progress in translational research, including securing record funding and launching the Clinnova digital health project. These achievements underscore LIH’s commitment to advancing precision medicine and patient-centred research.
The Luxembourg Institute of Health (LIH) is proud to announce the release of its 2023 Annual Report, highlighting a year marked by exceptional advancements in translational research. The institute, committed to becoming a leading research entity in Europe, made significant progress in understanding the immune system, immune homeostasis, and their roles in autoimmune diseases and cancer in 2023.
I am proud to present the annual report for 2023, which reflects a year of transformative progress for LIH. Our achievements in securing record external funding, including a prestigious European Research Council grant, and receiving the 2023 FNR Award for Outstanding Scientific Achievement, demonstrate the excellence of our research teams and their ground-breaking work,
said Ulf Nehrbass, CEO of LIH.
In 2023, LIH achieved its highest level of external funding to date, including a prestigious European Research Council (ERC) grant awarded to Dr Meiser for his pioneering work on preventing the spread of metastatic cancer. This accolade underscores the excellence of LIH’s researchers and provides essential support for innovative cancer research. The Immuno-Pharmacology and Interactomics group, led by Drs Andy Chevigné and Martyna Szpakowska, received the 2023 FNR Award for their state-of-the-art research on opioid receptors. This recognition highlights the group’s significant contributions to scientific knowledge and potential therapeutic advancements.
2023 also saw the successful launch of the Clinnova project, a flagship digital health cross-border initiative. It aims to revolutionize treatment decisions by creating a federated, standardized, and interoperable data environment, facilitating better patient outcomes. LIH enhanced its collaborations with clinical partners in neighbouring countries, establishing an interoperable infrastructure for secure data exchange. This collaborative effort ensures that research remains patient-centred and maximizes the potential for impactful discoveries.
During the past year, LIH participated in several new initiatives focused on cancer research, including efforts to establish comprehensive cancer care centres and advance glioblastoma treatment. Additionally, LIH continued to lead EU-funded projects investigating the impact of infectious diseases like COVID-19 on the risk of neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson’s disease and dementia.
The achievements of 2023 have laid a robust foundation for our future endeavours. The growing connection between immunology and cancer has reinforced our organizational model, empowering our research initiatives. Our Translational Medicine Operations Hub is set to scale and validate research in precision and digital health, ensuring that our scientific discoveries translate into practical applications that improve patient outcome.Looking ahead to 2024, we are optimistic and determined to continue driving ground-breaking research, innovative solutions, and meaningful global health impacts.
stated Gregor Baertz, Chairman of the Board of Directors of LIH.
The future of translational research at LIH will increasingly rely on data-driven approaches. By utilizing standardized, quality-controlled data, LIH aims to drive precision medicine, develop novel therapies, and foster fundamental research. The institute is committed to creating large interoperable datasets that will connect LIH with research and clinical partners worldwide. Cutting-edge machine-learning and Big Data methodologies will form the foundation of clinical decision-making, with LIH playing a pivotal role in bridging the gap between patients and clinicians.
LIH would like to extend its heartfelt gratitude to its dedicated staff for their relentless and passionate work. The institute also thanks its stakeholders, notably the Ministry of Higher Education and Research, the Ministry of Health, and the National Research Fund, for their unwavering support.
For more information and to access the full 2023 Annual Report, please visit https://annual-report.lih.lu.
About the Luxembourg Institute of Health (LIH)
The Luxembourg Institute of Health (LIH) is a public biomedical research organisation focused on precision health and invested in becoming a leading reference in Europe for the translation of scientific excellence into meaningful benefits for patients.
The LIH places the patient at the heart of all its activities, driven by a collective obligation towards society to use knowledge and technology arising from research on patient derived data to have a direct impact on people’s health. Its dedicated teams of multidisciplinary researchers strive for excellence, generating relevant knowledge linked to immune related diseases and cancer.
The institute embraces collaborations, disruptive technology and process innovation as unique opportunities to improve the application of diagnostics and therapeutics with the long-term goal of preventing disease.