Amsterdam Gastroenterology & Metabolism

Our daily energy expenditure has to be sustained by the efficient digestion and metabolism of our diet. The body’s machinery required to manage this task is one of the most important organ systems burdened by disease in the Western World. Diet-induced obesity, diabetes, cancer and chronic inflammatory diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, pancreas and liver are some of the major illnesses that affect our society. Many of these diseases seem to be associated with a Western diet and lifestyle. Inborn errors of metabolism cause rare diseases that require specialized care but also offer a unique opportunity to study human metabolism in health and disease.
The Amsterdam Gastroenterology Endocrinology Metabolism (AGEM) research institute unites the research at the AMC and VUmc involved at the intersection of nutrition, microbiology, digestion, endocrinology and metabolism. Together we aim to make an important contribution to improve gastrointestinal and metabolic health and reduce the burden of diseases such as colorectal cancer (CRC), inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), diabetes mellitus (DM) and phenylketonuria (PKU).
The mission of the AGEM research institute is: ‘to perform research that promotes healthy nutrition and metabolism, prevents or cures gastrointestinal and inherited and acquired metabolic disease and improves the well-being of our patients.’