Five years ago, the coronavirus turned the world upside down. The pandemic highlighted the urgent need for effective treatments for lung diseases. Yet, these treatments are still too often tested on laboratory animals, yielding disappointing results. How can we do better? The P4O2 consortium offers an innovative, animal-free solution.
Precision medicine for more oxygen (P402)
No less than one in seven people worldwide will experience a lung disease. Conditions such as long COVID and COPD can cause lasting symptoms and significantly impact quality of life.
Led by Amsterdam UMC and with a budget of €14.5 million, the Precision Medicine for More Oxygen (P4O2) consortium focuses on the early detection and prevention of chronic lung diseases. The goal: to identify, better treat, and prevent lung diseases whenever possible – all without animal testing.
Long winded laboratory animals
Lung diseases have traditionally been studied using animal models. Because animals do not naturally develop these diseases, they are artificially induced—by exposing them to harmful substances like cigarette smoke, for example. In the Netherlands, nearly 1,000 animals are used for this type of research each year, including:
- Mice: 570 (61%)
- Guinea pigs: 210 (22%)
- Rats: 101 (11%)
- Sheep: 53 (6%)
However, the biological differences between humans and animals are simply too great. As a result, findings from animal studies often fail to translate to humans. The P4O2 consortium is taking a different approach: by using advanced, animal-free techniques, researchers are moving closer to solutions that are truly relevant to humans—without animal suffering.
The power of multidisciplinary research
One of P4O2’s most unique aspects is its collaboration across multiple disciplines. From advanced AI-driven imaging analysis to monitoring air quality with wearable sensors—everything is leveraged to maximize impact.
A particularly special feature of P4O2 is the direct involvement of patients. To study factors that increase the risk of chronic lung disease, P4O2 collaborates with healthy participants, individuals who have had COVID-19, and COPD patients.
Prof. Anke-Hilse Maitland – van der Zee, lead researcher at Amsterdam UMC, emphasizes the importance of this collaboration in a press release:
“We still don’t fully understand why some people develop lung disease while others don’t. By the time chronic lung diseases are diagnosed, significant damage has often already occurred, leaving little room for recovery. P4O2 aims to contribute to much earlier diagnosis, limiting damage and improving quality of life.”
Personalized treatments made possible
By working with both healthy participants and lung patients, P4O2 enables different types of studies:
- Biomarker identification: By analyzing blood, nasal swabs, and exhaled air, researchers identify substances that signal the early development of lung disease – before symptoms appear.
- AI-based imaging analysis: AI processes CT scans of healthy and affected lungs to determine which treatments can prevent or repair lung damage.
- Environmental & lifestyle influence: Wearable air quality sensors measure how environmental factors impact lung health.
These methods pave the way for personalized medicine for lung diseases, meaning that treatments can be tailored to individuals rather than generalized (as they often are in animal models). A breakthrough worth celebrating!
A familiar face: Anne van der Does
A well-known figure is also part of the P4O2 consortium: Dr. Anne van der Does, Assistant Professor at Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC) and a pioneer in animal-free lung research.
Anne has long been dedicated to developing and applying human cell culture models in lung disease research. The LUMC pulmonary department is at the forefront of the transition towards animal-free research methods and innovative models.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Anne worked on a combined organoid and organ-on-a-chip model to study both the short- and long-term effects of the coronavirus on the lungs. Her expertise and dedication make her a leading figure in animal-free innovation in pulmonary medicine.
Within P4O2, she plays a key role in developing sustainable solutions for lung patients, with a strong emphasis on replacing animal testing with advanced human models.
“Being part of a project like P4O2 brings together everything I value: innovative scientific research, animal-free advancements, and strong teamwork. Together, we are working toward sustainable solutions for both lung patients and laboratory animals.” – dr. Anne van der Does
Breathing new life into the future
The COVID-19 pandemic has changed our understanding of lung diseases and treatments. P4O2 builds on this knowledge by introducing innovative, animal-free methods that enable earlier detection and more effective treatments.
“Our research within the P4O2 consortium has helped unravel the complexity of long COVID,” says Kornel Golebski, Assistant Professor at Amsterdam UMC. “We have identified potential biomarkers—clues in biological samples such as blood—that could lead to better diagnoses and new treatments. These findings bring us one step closer to targeted solutions for long COVID patients.”
Long COVID in a patient © Thijs Rooijmans
Through collaborations between scientists, doctors, businesses, and partners like Proefdiervrij, we are working towards a future where the health of both humans and animals is prioritized.
The collaborative project is co-funded with a PPS grant provided by Health~Holland, Top Sector Life Sciences & Health, to stimulate public-private partnerships. More information about the consortium can be found at https://p4o2.org/