Ingrid Meulenbelt is professor of molecular biology of Osteoarthritis (OA) and head of the OA research group within the section Molecular Epidemiology and the department of Biomedical Data Sciences. She is vice-chair of the LUMC VENI committee and member of the executive body of education of the master Biomedical Science (OOO MaBMS). In 2016 Meulenbelt has obtained a NWO-VICI grant to study the underlying mechanisms of the diverse OA pathophysiological processes. She is member of the organizing committee of the largest and most important congress of the international OA society entitled OsteoArthritis Society International (OARSI) i.e. as abstract chair in 2019 and program chair in 2020.

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Ingrid Meulenbelt is professor of molecular biology of Osteoarthritis (OA) and head of the OA research group within the section Molecular Epidemiology and the department of Biomedical Data Sciences. She is vice-chair of the LUMC VENI committee and member of the executive body of education of the master Biomedical Science (OOO MaBMS). In 2016 Meulenbelt has obtained a NWO-VICI grant to study the underlying mechanisms of the diverse OA pathophysiological processes. She is member of the organizing committee of the largest and most important congress of the international OA society entitled OsteoArthritis Society International (OARSI) i.e. as abstract chair in 2019 and program chair in 2020.

Molecular biology of Osteoarthritis

The chair of Meulenbelt is entitled Molecular biology of Osteoarthritis (OA). OA is a prevalent, progressive heterogeneous disease of joint tissues, severely hampering daily life activities of patients, In absence of effective therapy OA puts a high social and economic burden on society.

The founding hypothesis of the research programme is that development of effective therapy is severely hampered by the lack of insight into the diversity of the OA pathophysiological process. To unravel the biological mechanisms driving this diversity Meulenbelt is in first instance focussing on characterizing diverting OA-subtypes by multilevel –omics analyses of cartilage and bone of OA patients undergoing joint replacement surgery. Based on these profiles a human osteochondral micro tissue model, prone to enter an OA-subtype, typically called an OA-joint-on-chip, will be developed. To allot reproducibility of the model and generate high quality bone and cartilage tissue induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell technology is being developed and applied. With this methodology we contribute to OA driven regenerative medicine. Additionally, risk factors of OA, such as genetic contribution or mechanical stress, will be incorporated in the model to trigger the OA process. Insight into the modifying effect of environmental factors will contribute to a better evidence based self-reliance programs for OA patients. By exploring ways to counteract the OA process in the human joint-on-chip models evidence based treatment options are developed towards precision medicine. To allow translation of acquired knowledge to clinical applications and enhance effective clinical trials, molecular biomarkers such as circulating ncRNAs are being developed to allow stratification of OA patients based on their required mode of treatments action. As such the chair of Meulenbelt addresses major questions from the Dutch National Research Agenda e.g. in ‘Regenerative medicine’, Personalised medicine‘ and ‘Health care research’ eventually to alleviate the burden of the societal challenge called Osteoarthritis.

Academic career

Professor Ingrid Meulenbelt obtained her MSc (Cum Laude) in Medical Biology in 1990 at the University of Amsterdam. After she worked for 2 years as a research associate at Medscand Ingeny she started her PhD at the Leiden University. In 1992 she finished her doctoral thesis ‘Genetic predisposing factors of osteoarthritis’ in 1997. As post doc at TNO Prevention and Health she continued her research on Osteoarthritis and initiated, together with the LUMC Dept. Rheumatology, the landmark study Genetics osteoArthritis and Progression (GARP). In 2000 she started as assistant professor at the Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC). From 2008 she became associate professor and group leader of the OA research programme and initiated the second landmark study Research in Articular osteoArthritis Cartilage (RAAK) together with Dept. Orthopaedics. In 2016 she obtained a prestigious NWO VICI grant and in 2017 she was appointed professor of Molecular Biology of Osteoarthritis at the LUMC. Her inaugural lecture took place on 19-01-2018 and was entitled: ‘Artrose van diversiteit in moleculaire paden tot effectieve therapie op maat’ (in Dutch).

Prizes and honourable appointments

• Member of the organizing committee as abstract chair 2019 and program chair in 2020 of the annual international congress of the OsteoArthritis Society International  (OARSI). OARSI is the largest international organization for health care professionals, basic and clinical scientists focused on the prevention and treatment of OA through the promotion and presentation of research, education and the worldwide dissemination of new knowledge.
• Member of the board of directors of the OARSI from 2009 -2016.

Activities