MEGMRI

The ‘Hybrid MEG-MRI Imaging System’ project will last four years and will develop and validate hybrid magnetoencephalography (MEG) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technology that will allow simultaneous structural and functional imaging of the human brain. The first part of the project will focus on sensor optimisation and low-field MRI development. The second part of the project will be devoted to building a prototype that incorporates the best possible sensor and extensive preclinical validation, covering major brain disorders for adults and children. The prototype will be used to research major adult and paediatric brain disorders.

The project involves 13 partners from 5 countries:
Finland, France, Germany, Italy and Sweden.
EC contribution: €4.9 million
http://www.ist-world.org/ProjectDetails.aspx?ProjectId=ffde46e0a67b4751abfb0193dae3d0e6&SourceDatabaseId=9900e74f1158484985c6bf0d2aa3cc2a

PROSPECTS

‘PROteomics SPECification in Time and Space’ is a five-year project in proteomics, a major new field in biomedical research that deals with the large-scale identification and characterisation of large groups of proteins, or ‘proteomes’. PROSPECTS will develop more powerful instrumentation and apply novel proteomics methods to facilitate quantitative annotation of the human proteome, with respect to protein localisation and dynamics.

The project involves 10 partners from 7 countries:
Germany, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Spain, Denmark, Sweden and Israel.
EC contribution: €11.8 million
http://www.prospects-fp7.eu/

CHILD-INNOVAC

The three-year project on ‘Nasal vaccination against respiratory infections in young children’ aims to develop novel nasal vaccines against two major respiratory pathogens: Bordetella pertussis and Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), which are among the most frequently occurring and severe respiratory pathogens in young children. Both pathogens have a world-wide distribution and pose significant direct burdens on health systems in Europe, in neighbouring developing countries and in migrant communities.

The project involves 10 partners from 7 countries:
France, Belgium, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, the Netherlands and United Kingdom.
EC contribution: €5 million
http://www.child-innovac.org/

OpenTox

The three-year project ‘Open Source Predictive Toxicology Framework’ aims to develop a predictive toxicology framework that offers a unified access to toxicological data,(Q)SAR (quantitative structure-activity relationship) models and supporting information. OpenTox will be relevant for REACH because it gives risk assessors simple access to experimental data, to (Q)SAR models and toxicological information that adheres to European and international regulatory requirements. OpenTox will contain high-quality data and (Q)SAR models for chronic, genotoxic and carcinogenic effects, the endpoints with the greatest potential to reduce animal testing.

The project involves 11 partners from 7 countries:
Switzerland, Germany, Bulgaria, Italy, Greece, Romania and India.
EC contribution: €3 million
http://www.opentox.org/