Erasmus MC

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Erasmus MC
Erasmus Medical Centre with the new built tower at the rightside at 17 March 2015 - panoramio.jpg
Erasmus MC in 2015.
Wikimedia | © OpenStreetMap
Erasmus MC is located in Rotterdam
Erasmus MC
Location in Rotterdam
Geography
LocationDijkzigt, Rotterdam, Netherlands
Coordinates51°54′38″N 4°28′6″E / 51.91056°N 4.46833°E / 51.91056; 4.46833Coordinates: 51°54′38″N 4°28′6″E / 51.91056°N 4.46833°E / 51.91056; 4.46833
Organisation
FundingGovernment hospital
TypeTeaching
Affiliated universityErasmus University Rotterdam
Services
Emergency departmentYes Accident & Emergency; Major Trauma Centre
Beds1320
SpecialityCardiovascular diseases, Clinical Genetics, Endocrinology, Gastroenterology, Human reproductive system, Immunology, Microsurgery, Oncology, Pediatrics & Pediatric surgery, and Virology
HelipadYes
History
Opened1840 as Coolsingelziekenhuis;
1961 as Dijkzigtziekenhuis;
1970 as Academic Hospital Rotterdam;
2002 as Erasmus MC
Links
Websitehttps://www.erasmusmc.nl/

Erasmus University Medical Center (Erasmus MC) based in Rotterdam, Netherlands, affiliated with Erasmus University and home to its faculty of medicine, is the 'largest and one of the most authoritative scientific University Medical Centers in Europe.'[1] Furthermore, the hospital is the largest of the eight university medical centers in the Netherlands, both in terms of turnover and number of beds.[2][3] The Erasmus MC ranks #1 of the top European institution in clinical medicine and #20 in the world according to the Times Higher Education rankings.[4]

Structure[]

The hospital has three locations:

  • Erasmus MC – the main location.
  • Erasmus MC Sophia Children's Hospital, the pediatric hospital, closely connected to the main location by a raised glass hallway.
  • Erasmus MC Cancer Institute, specialized in oncology.

Special units include:

The main location of Erasmus MC is located next to the Museumpark.

History[]

The Coolsingel Hospital in 1929.
The Dijkzigt Hospital, now being part of the Erasmus MC.
The Daniel den Hoed Cancer Center, the oncology center of the Erasmus MC in the neighbourhood Feijenoord.

The history of Erasmus MC goes back to the municipal Coolsingel Hospital (Coolsingelziekenhuis), which was built in the period 1839 - 1848 by design of city architect Willem Nicolaas Rose (1801-1877). Due to delays during construction, the hospital could not be used until 1851. The building was at the corner of the Van Oldebarneveltstraat and the Coolsingel (near current Lijnbaan) in Rotterdam and had an imposing facade with a width of eighty-two meters. The first hospital director was Dr. Jan Bastiaan Molewater (1813-1864), who was also a lecturer at the Clinical School that was opened in Rotterdam in 1828. The hospital was largely destroyed during the German bombing of Rotterdam by the Luftwaffe in 1940. Only the Coolsingelpoort, the former gate to the hospital, now reminds of this hospital at the Lijnbaan.

After a long period of temporary provisions, the new Dijkzigt Hospital (Dijkzigtziekenhuis) could finally be used in 1961 at the location where the Erasmus MC is now located. The Dijkzigt Hospital was named after Villa Dijkzigt on the enormous estate called Land van Hoboken, which was the home of the Dutch shipowner's family Van Hoboken. In 1924, this land was sold to the Rotterdam municipality and on which since today the Natural History Museum Rotterdam is housed.

The Foundation for Clinical Higher Education in Rotterdam (Stichting Klinisch Hoger Onderwijs in Rotterdam), founded in 1950, was designated by the Dutch government in 1965 to become one of the seven major medical training centers in the Netherlands. In 1966, this new medical training center was opened at the G.J. de Jonghweg with 160 medical students. The Dijkzig Hospital became its corresponding academic hospital.

In 1970, the Dijkzigt Hospital merged with the Sophia Children's Hospital (Sophia Kinderziekenhuis) into the Academic Hospital Rotterdam (Academisch Ziekenhuis Rotterdam). In 1973, the medical training center of Rotterdam became part of the Erasmus University Rotterdam (Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam), designated as Faculty of Medicine and Health Science (Faculteit der Geneeskunde en Gezondheidswetenschappen), and moved to the complex of the Dijkzigt Hospital. In 1993 the Sophia Children's Hospital also moved to this location. In the same year, also the Daniel den Hoed Clinic (Daniel den Hoedkliniek) - a main Dutch oncology center named after Daniël den Hoed, the founder of radiotherapy in the Netherlands - became part of the Academic Hospital Rotterdam. On 1 June 2002, the Dijkzigt Hospital, the Sophia Children's Hospital, the Daniel den Hoed Clinic, and the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, all formally merged into the current Erasmus University Medical Center (Erasmus MC), which is affiliated with Erasmus University Rotterdam.

Erasmus MC started in May 2009 with a major new construction and renovation project at their location. The first part (at the east) was completed in 2013 and put into use. The second part (at the West) was completed in late 2017 and put into operation in 2018. A new main entrance was constructed close to the Dijkzigt metro station, on the Wytemaweg. Hereafter is planned the demolition of the old Dijkzigt Hospital and the renovation of the Faculty of Medicine tower and the buildings of the Sophia Children's Hospital.

Complete Genomics[]

In May 2011 Erasmus Medical Center signed an agreement with California-based Complete Genomics (Nasdaq: GNOM), a life sciences company that has developed and commercialized a proprietary DNA sequencing platform for human genome sequencing and analysis. Complete Genomics signed a contract to produce genetic sequence for 250 Erasmus Medical Center samples.[5] In September 2012 the Beijing Genomics Institute purchased Complete Genomics for $117M.[6] The United States Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States cleared the purchase by December 2012.[7]

The head of bioinformatics, Dr. Peter J. van der Spek, claimed that Complete Genomics' complete human genome sequencing service will allow us to study genetic variations at a higher resolution and greater sensitivity than has been previously possible."[1]

The Department of Viroscience of the Erasmus MC[]

About new emerging viral infections[]

Viral infections like Ebola, MERS, SARS and Zika continue to be among the leading causes of illness and death across the world. They threaten the health of the global population if they are not rapidly detected and contained.

Besides known viruses, new viruses continue to emerge due to rapid demographic changes over the past decades, as well as globalization of travel and trade. SARS-CoV-2 is a recent example. The current COVID-19 pandemic shows the devastating impact emerging zoonotic diseases can have on societies.

As the pandemic continues to unfold, understanding how the epidemic began is essential to prevent further SARS-CoV-2 virus introductions and help prevent introductions of new viruses in the future. It could also potentially assist with the development of treatments and vaccines. Identifying the origin of the virus, however, is a complex task, which requires strong international and multi-sectoral collaboration, and a commitment to leverage expertise, capacity, and work globally.

Besides being highly involved in this part of the global scientific research on SARS-CoV-2, The Department of Viroscience of the Erasmus MC is also executing research on many other aspects of SARS-CoV-2.  

The Department of Viroscience of the Erasmus MC[]

is an international centre of excellence for multidisciplinary, basic, translational and clinical research of viruses and virus infections at the molecular, patient and population level. The unique aspect of the Department of Viroscience is its translational approach, with expertise ranging from basic virology to clinical virology, connecting medical and veterinary health, public health and ecology. By combining these complementary areas of expertise The Department of Viroscience is able to meet today's and tomorrow's societal challenges in diseases caused by common and newly emerging viruses.

The Department of Viroscience is Reference Centre for:[]

  1. WHO Collaborating Centre (WHO-CC) – Emerging Viral Infections
  2. WHO National Reference Laboratory Centre - Measles & Rubella
  3. National Reference Centre for Influenza and Emerging Infections in The Netherlands

Professor Marion Koopmans, Head of the Department of Viroscience, is also part of the international team of the current WHO-convened Global Study of the Origins of SARS-CoV-2 China studies (November 2020).

Global impact of the department of Viroscience[]

  • Global scientific cooperation SARS-CoV-2
  • Discovery of the human metapneumovirus, MERS-CoV and others
  • The identification of camels as the reservoir for MERS-CoV
  • Basic insights into how avian influenza viruses and other zoonoses cause diseases in humans
  • Unravelling how avian influenza viruses can become transmissible for humans
  • Discovery of mechanism of norovirus evolution and its impact on population health
  • Support to WHO as collaborating centre for emerging viral infections

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b "Erasmus University Medical Center Partners With Complete Genomics To Begin Developing Its Genomic Medicine Pipeline". Globe and Mail. 19 May 2011.
  2. ^ Het nieuwe Erasmus MC is klaar voor 525 duizend patiënten - website of the Dutch newspaper de Volkskrant; Retrieved 2018-08-02 (in Dutch)
  3. ^ Feiten & Cijfers: De Nederlandse universitair medische centra - website of the Rathenau Institute; Retrieved 2017-08-24 (in Dutch)
  4. ^ Top European institutions in clinical medicine
  5. ^ "Erasmus University Medical Center Partners With Complete Genomics to Begin Developing Its Genomic Medicine Pipeline". Mountain View, California. 18 May 2011. Archived from the original on 2012-11-05.
  6. ^ Baker, Monya (15 September 2012). "Impact of impending US budget cut on science revealed". Nature.
  7. ^ Pollack, Andrew (December 30, 2012). "U.S. Clears DNA Firm's Acquisition by Chinese". The New York Times. Retrieved December 31, 2012.

External links[]

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