07/04/2026
๐๐ถ๐ฑ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐ธ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ฎ ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป๐ ๐ณ๐ฎ๐ฟ ๐บ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ป ๐ท๐๐๐ ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ฎ๐น๐? A single drop of tear fluid can reveal over a hundred different substances, including biomarkers that indicate the presence of diseases such as Alzheimer's or Huntington's. Marlies Gijs, a biochemist at Maastricht UMC+ , is achieving a world first with her research.
Just like blood, tears can tell us a great deal about our health. But collecting a droplet of tear fluid with a small strip of paper is far less invasive than a blood draw, or a lumbar puncture, for that matter. Together with Brightlands Maastricht Health Campus, tear doctor Marlies Gijs is working on securing the patents from her research, and ultimately on developing a self-test for tear analysis.
Marlies Gijs is part of Brightlands, Limburg's innovation community. Together, we work on breakthroughs in circularity, health and safety, in the most international region of the Netherlands.
Innovation without borders, quite literally. With our Brightlands Campuses as breeding grounds where entrepreneurs, scientists and students develop practical solutions to complex challenges.
Curious about our results and stories? Follow Brightlands on LinkedIn and visit our website www.brightlands.com/en/limburg-innovates?utm_source=partner_social&utm_medium=linkedin&utm_campaign=limburg_vernieuwt&utm_content=tranendokter_en&utm_term=partner
๐๐ถ๐บ๐ฏ๐๐ฟ๐ด ๐ถ๐ป๐ป๐ผ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ถ๐๐ต๐ผ๐๐ ๐น๐ถ๐บ๐ถ๐๐.