PNEUMOPATH

The three-year project aims to comprehensively dissect host-pathogen interactions during Streptococcus pneumoniae infection. Findings are expected to lead to new targets for vaccination, diagnosis and treatment of the diseases caused by pneumococci. PNEUMOPATH will use a systems biology approach with a checkerboard experimental design to uncover molecular determinants of the pathogen’s virulence and antibiotic resistance, and of the host’s susceptibility and defences against the pneumococcal infection.

The project involves 16 partners from the following 9 countries:
United Kingdom, France, Iceland, Italy, Germany, Portugal, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Austria.
EC contribution: €3 million
http://ec.europa.eu/research/health/infectious-diseases/antimicrobial-drug-resistance/projects/008_en.html

PREGVAX

The four-year ‘Plasmodium Vivax Infection in Pregnancy’ project will carry out a cohort observational study in pregnant women in five P. vivax malaria endemic countries which together experience most of the world’s infections. Pregnant women will be enrolled at each site during routine antenatal care visits and followed-up at the health facility until delivery or end of pregnancy. Due to the likely low prevalence of infection in pregnancy a multicentric study design will be used. Immunological analysis will be performed to unveil whether there are pregnancyspecific immune responses. Phenotypic and genotypic analyses of parasites from the placenta should reveal their adhesive properties and whether the accumulation of infected erythrocytes selects unique parasite population.

The project involves 9 partners from the following 8 countries:
Spain, Sweden, Italy, India, Papua New Guinea, Brazil, Colombia, and Guatemala.
EC contribution: €3 million
http://ec.europa.eu/research/health/infectious-diseases/poverty-diseases/projects/171_en.htm

LEISHDNAVAX

The three-year project ‘Development of a DNA Vaccine for Visceral Leishmaniasis’ focuses on the preclinical development of a DNA vaccine for human visceral leishmaniasis. The project is based on DNA vaccine technology and immunomodulators developed at Mologen AG (Berlin, Germany) that are in clinical development for cancer, and on the few known antigens that have demonstrated profiles of protection in animal models of leishmaniasis. Antigens will be selected on the basis of preset criteria to assure protection against many different species of Leishmania in a high proportion of target populations. In vitro and in vivo models will be used to evaluate the prophylactic and therapeutic efficacy of the DNA vehicle with selected antigens alone, and in combination with and without an immunomodulator.

The project involves 7 partners from the following 5 countries:
United Kingdom, Germany, India, Tunisia and Israel.
EC contribution: €3 million
http://cordis.europa.eu/fetch?CALLER=FP7_PROJ_EN&ACTION=D&DOC=1&CAT=PROJ&RCN=89473

RANGER

‘Rapid, Robust and Scalable Platform Technology for Fully Automated Reference Laboratory-Grade Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)-Based Diagnostics Regardless of Global Setting’ is a two-year project that seeks to provide an innovative solution to the immediate need for a rapid, robust, cost-effective and user-friendly point-of-care (POC) diagnostic for influenza. The RANGER consortium uses WHO reference sites for human influenza diagnostics as well as world leading companies to develop and validate a POC influenza diagnostic system. This system will enable health systems to be better prepared for epidemics by providing innovative tools for early identification of infection and, thus, timely implementation of containment and treatment strategies.

The project involves 10 partners from the following 5 countries:
United Kingdom, Italy, the Netherlands, Denmark and Thailand.
EC contribution: €2.9 million