20 Healthy Living 2025 HEREDITY, REPRODUCTION AND PREDISPOSITION We are leaders as regards knowledge of reproductive genetics and embryo research. Maastricht UMC+ is the only medical institution in the Netherlands that offers Pre-implantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD) and it is also one of three centres in the country providing Non-Invasive Prenatal Testing (NIPT). Both patient care and scientific research call for a multidisciplinary approach. Our knowledge of reproduction, heredity and predisposition gives us a head start in helping to ensure a ‘good start’ in life. In this work, we also take account of the mother’s lifestyle and environmental factors. In this area of expertise in particular, we are especially aware of the importance of having a thorough discussion on medical ethics, and we also deploy our expertise for this purpose. THE ETHICS OF PGD The possibilities offered by genetics are growing exponentially. The discovery of the CRISPR-CAS technique means that in theory, any genetic defect can be repaired before birth. After Maastricht UMC+ was granted a licence in 1995 to carry out PGD (Pre-implantation Genetic Diagnosis), with which serious hereditary conditions can be prevented in people’s offspring, the technique prompted heated ethical and political discussion. It is true that with PGD and other forms of genetic technology, we are involved in influencing the early stages of life and the selection of life, and this must be approached with extreme care. Our scientists and geneticists are involved in the early stages of a new technology and at the same time they are creating the basic ethical conditions for applying and using this technology. CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES We offer a top clinical and tertiary referral cardiovascular care package in the area of cardiac arrhythmia, cardiac insufficiency, thrombosis and aortic diseases. Our ground breaking scientific research and education flourish within operationally excellent patient care, so that we can offer the newest treatments based on the latest medicalbiological and technological knowledge. In consultation with the primary care level, there is a strong emphasis on lifestyle as a means of preventing cardiovascular diseases. CARDIAC ARRHYTHMIA A technique developed in Maastricht is ablation, in which a cardiologist and a heart surgeon together carry out a procedure on the heart to correct an arrhythmia. Special catheters are inserted into the blood vessels in the groin and threaded through to the heart. An electrophysiological examination is then carried out, in which the arrhythmia is triggered and studied. Once the cause of the arrhythmia has been found, the area of heart tissue responsible is destroyed using energy in the form of heat or extreme cold. One of the developments is a small ECG device that is inserted under the skin to monitor the patient’s cardiac rhythm.
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