LIOF’S STAKE IN BIOMETRIC CENTER
[BIZ/LIFE-SCI: Gulpen, December 7] BMC has three operations in Gulpen, Susteren, and just across the border in Germany in Baesweiler. The staff are trained in treatment at their own centers and also provide it elsewhere. BMC started up in 2003 with nine staff and it’s expected that the number will double by the end of 2006. It is a valuable addition to the range of companies in Limburg and the Euroregion that specialize in medical devices. Medical devices are part, just as the gray economy is, of the new spearhead of the economic policy of the province of Limburg. As a development company, LIOF is pleased to participate in a promising development in this area. LIOF recently took a 20% stake in BioMetric Center BV. The range of projects is unique and responds to a major demand in the care market for objective, reliable, and rapid options for the diagnosis and treatment of complaints and illnesses that have thus far been difficult to diagnose. Generally it’s a question of making a link between physical complaints and psychological causes that can only be established after a period of time. By comparing the measurements before and after, for particular bodily functions, a diagnosis and a preventive and evaluative assessment can be made on the basis of the facts. In order to facilitate growth, BMC works with a cooperative formula, whereby essential data such as measurements, a patient database, appointments, and billing are organized centrally in a database, and this takes place in Heerlen, Venlo, and Harreveld. BMC thinks that there is room for treating 100,000, and this means a potential of 160 locations in The Netherlands, 100 in Belgium, and 200 in North-Rhine Westphalia. BMC is active in Germany and can expect support from the German ADHD Patient Association. The measurements currently are EGs, EMGs, and ECGs, and from 2006 other tests will be included. EMGs and ECGs allow measurements and the development of therapies to diminish the complaints: for example, inappropriate posture. In order to expand its services BMC is entering into various cooperative arrangements with a Center for Expertise in Life Sciences (CEL) at the Hogeschool Zuyd and the University of Maastricht, and also with the University of Umea in Sweden. The Center for IT Solutions at DSM Research has drawn up a contract for the management of the database. Together with Maastricht Instruments, BMC has developed measuring equipment that will be built by AIM in Brunssum.
The BioMetrisch [Biometric] Center BV (BMC) in Gulpen is going to expand its activities considerably. The company offers a program of measurements for physical functions and treatment for a range of complaints, include ADHD, burnout, and fatigue. Measurements in treatment take place in a practice and can be followed up by home training with the help of training equipment that the patient can purchase.
http://www.biometrischcentrum.nl