22-05-2025
Hy2Care® joins the OPzuid INTELLECTUAL Project Consortium in the fight against Osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic, degenerative joint disease characterized by the breakdown of cartilage due to trauma or wear and tear. Globally, OA affects more than 595 million people and is expected to double by 2050, largely due to aging populations. While it is commonly associated with older adults, OA increasingly impacts younger individuals as well, especially athletes and those recovering from joint injuries. The need for innovative, regenerative treatment options is more urgent than ever.
To address this challenge, the OPzuid INTELLECTUAL project was initiated with €2.1 million in funding, supported by Stimulus and the European Union. As an active member of the consortium—together with chiron, University of Twente, TNO, Medace, and Maastricht University—Hy2Care® is contributing to the development of an advanced, high-throughput cartilage-on-a-chip platform, known as the INTELLECTUALS-chip (IN-Chip). This innovative model builds on earlier work by chiron and the University of Twente.
The IN-Chip is designed to better mimic the complexity of human joint tissue, enabling more accurate testing of OA treatments while reducing the need for animal testing. It represents a major step forward in the development of personalized and regenerative therapies for OA patients.
“We are proud to be part of this project—on the one hand because it’s another step in our mission to combat osteoarthritis, and on the other because this technology helps reduce the need for animal testing,” according to Leo Smit, CEO Hy2Care®
