The urgency

Imagine a child who dares not dream beyond tomorrow. For whom a birthday is not a given. For whom “later” remains an illusion. In the Netherlands, 1 in 4 children with a metabolic disease dies before their eighteenth birthday. For more than ten thousand families in the Netherlands, this is the harsh reality. 

Metabolic diseases are often hereditary, progressive, lead to lifelong limitations and are fatal without treatment. They are among the most unknown and at the same time most devastating diseases among children. Patients and their families live every day with the knowledge that time is running out. Every moment counts. 

The promise 

Yet there is hope. Science is at a tipping point. New technologies – from genetic therapy to innovative medicines – are enabling breakthroughs that were unthinkable a decade ago. 

That is why Metakids and United for Metabolic Diseases (UMD) have set themselves the ambitious goal of making 50% of patients treatable by 2035. This moonshot is ambitious, but achievable – provided we join forces and accelerate our efforts now. 

The spark 

In 2024, 3FM Serious Request, the largest fundraising campaign in the Netherlands, gave the fight against metabolic diseases an unprecedented boost. Of the proceeds, €11.5 million will be invested in 50in35. This amount is a spark, not an end point. It is the starting point.

The alliance 

50in35 is a unique alliance. 

Metakids is the driving force, initiator and founding partner who raises funds, highlights the urgency and mobilises society. 

UMD, the national metabolic partnership of six academic hospitals and the patient association VKS, is the founding research partner that charts the scientific course and will propose an integrated plan in December 2025. 

But this mission requires more. 50% treatable in 2035 can only be achieved through a growing movement of international corporate partners, (endowment) funds, policymakers and major donors. Thanks to the initial investment from 3FM Serious Request, the foundation has been laid: now is the time to join forces and create the scale that will enable major breakthroughs. 

The approach

In December 2025, UMD will present its research plan, developed by leading scientists in close collaboration with families and patient organisations and international research groups. This plan outlines the route to 50% treatable by 2035: from fundamental research to new clinical trials, and from innovative therapies to infrastructure for diagnosis and care. Metakids is actively involved in assessing the plan through its Scientific Advisory Board. 

50in35 was set up with international ambitions to make a significant contribution to the global fight against metabolic diseases. 

The impact 

50in35 means hope. Hope that more and more children with a metabolic disease can dream of a future. Hope that a diagnosis no longer has to be devastating diagnosis and offers the prospect of a life without limitations. 

For science and society, 50in35 means more collaboration. It marks the start of a growing, impactful alliance in the field of metabolic disease research.

The moment

This is a special step. After the establishment of UMD, 50in35 is the next major milestone in the fight against metabolic diseases. Now is the time to turn ambition into action. 

In the coming months, the UMD will be working with Metakids to flesh out the research plan. We invite partners and other stakeholders to follow this process and join us. Because this project requires a movement – of families, scientists, donors, companies and policymakers. 

50in35 stands for a future in which 50% of patients will be treatable by 2035. 

And that future has now begun – together we will make 50in35 a reality.

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