NeuroGLIA

A four-year project on ‘Molecular and Cellular Investigation of Neuron-Astroglia Interactions: Understanding Brain Function and Dysfunction’ (NeuroGLIA) aims to unravel fundamental mechanisms of neuron-astroglia signalling in health and disease. Astroglial cells are active elements in the brain that sense and integrate synaptic signals and, by releasing gliotransmitters, regulate synaptic efficacy and cerebral blood flow. NeuroGLIA seeks to open new perspectives for specific therapeutic strategies by investigating neuron-astroglia signalling.

The project involves 7 partners from the following 5 countries: Germany, Spain, United Kingdom, Italy and the Netherlands.
EC contribution: €3 million
http://www.neuroglia.eu

WhyWeAge

The rapid increase of life expectancy in Europe is essentially a positive outcome of improved health care and socioeconomic progress. Nevertheless, age-related health deterioration greatly impinges upon the health care and social-security systems. This 18-month project aims to ally European research on ageing, using commonly agreed perspectives to develop a roadmap for European research on the molecular aspects of healthy human ageing. Based on an assessment of the state of the art in molecular gerontology and breakthroughs in biotechnology, the project will organise a series of research workshops in an integrative conference. The conclusions of the workshops and final conference will serve as a reference tool for European policies on ageing.

The project involves 18 partners from the following 10 countries:
Belgium, Germany, Italy, France, Greece, United Kingdom, Austria, Denmark, Poland and Hungary.
EC contribution: €500 000
Website

PanCareSurFup

A five-year project on 'PanCare Childhood and Adolescent Cancer Survivor Care and Follow-up Studies' (PanCareSurFup) is collecting data on the risks of complications of cancer treatments such as cardiac toxicity, second cancers and late mortality. The project will follow about 80,000 survivors of childhood and adolescent cancer, making it the largest study of its kind to date. PanCareSurFup will develop risk estimates for most serious complications and propose guidelines for follow-up care and education with the aim of providing every childhood cancer survivor in Europe with better access to care and better long-term health.

The project involves 16 partners from the following 11 countries: Sweden, Hungary, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, Ireland, United Kingdom, Italy, Belgium and the Netherlands.
EC contribution: €3 million
http://www.pancaresurfup.eu/

ADAMANT

Antibody Derivatives As Molecular Agents for Neoplastic Targeting

The delivery of effective drugs to malignant tissues only is a priority issue in cancer research.
This three year project aims at the discovery of improved anticancer therapies which rely on the antibody-based delivery of cytotoxic agents, radionuclides or immunostimulatory cytokines to tumour cells. The premise guiding the ADAMANT research consortium’s efforts is that this targeted approach of administration will spare normal tissues, will reduce toxicity and will achieve unprecedented efficacy. The focus will be on the combination of therapeutic modalities to special vehicles known as monoclonal antibodies, i.e., proteins that have optimal targeting properties, efficiency and selectivity of action against cancer only.

The project involves 9 partners from 6 countries
Italy, Switzerland, Germany, United Kingdom, Belgium and the Netherlands
EC contribution: € 3 million
http://www.adamant-fp7.eu/

AtheroRemo

The five-year project ‘European Collaborative Project on Inflammation and Vascular Wall Remodelling in Atherosclerosis’ aims to identify novel inflammatory mechanisms in vascular remodelling and to develop new preventive, diagnostic and therapeutic strategies against atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. A number of novel findings will be translated into potential clinical applications.

The project involves 18 partners from the following 11 countries:
United Kingdom, Switzerland, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Germany, Greece, Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden.
EC contribution: €11.7 million
http://www.atheroremo.org/

ATPBone

The three-year project ‘Fighting Osteoporosis by Blocking Nucleotides: Purinergic Signalling in Bone Formation and Homeostasis’ will use in vitro and in vivo models to investigate the role of ATP and purinergic receptor signalling in the control of bone formation and homeostasis. The potential of the system as a target for the development of new therapies for osteoporosis will be assessed by small-scale clinical proof-of-concept studies.

The project involves 7 partners from the following 5 countries:
Denmark, United Kingdom, Belgium, the Netherlands and Italy.
EC contribution: €3 million
http://www.atpbone.org/

LEAFLET: Global initiative on gene-environment interactions in diabetes and obesity in specific populations (1.2MB)

In 2011, under the research topic HEALTH 2.4.3-4 on "Genetic and environmental factors for diabetes and obesity", the European Commission funded four projects on specific populations with a total EU funding of €12 million

TOBI

The three-year project ‘Targeting OBesity-driven Inflammation’ aims to analyse mechanisms provoking adipokine-mediated crosstalk and inflammatory drift in obese patients, and to develop novel strategies to reduce or reverse insulin resistance and vascular dysfunction. Key molecules of pathophysiological relevance will be validated for their potential as targets for drug development.

The project involves 10 partners from the following 5 countries:
Austria, Germany, United Kingdom, Italy and France.
EC contribution: €3 million
http://www.tobi-project.eu/

DIABIMMUNE

The objective is to test the hygiene hypothesis and basic pathogenetic mechanisms which may lead to type 1 diabetes, allergy or other immune mediated disease in three neighbouring countries with large differences in socioeconomic development as well as incidence of type 1 diabetes and allergy. It will study prospectively high risk birth cohorts and population based cohorts from three different countries (3 up to 5 year old children) and collect samples to be stored long term in a biobank for further follow up studies.

The project involves 12 partners from 5 countries
Finland, Estonia, Germany, the Netherlands, United Kingdom
EC contribution: € 6 million
http://www.diabimmune.org
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-05/uoh-rff052708.php
http://ec.europa.eu/research/headlines/news/article_08_06_18_en.html

EUCILIA

The three-year project ‘Pathophysiology of Rare Diseases Due to Ciliary Dysfunction: Nephronophthisis, Oral-facial-digital type 1 and Bardet-Biedl Syndromes’ will study the physiological roles of primary cilia and OFD1, BBS and NPHP proteins in the formation and function of the primary cilium and ciliary protein interaction network. The objective is to identify potential therapeutic agents. Results may shed light on the mechanisms underlying the role of primary cilia in polycystic kidney disease.

The project involves 4 partners from the following 3 countries:
United Kingdom, Italy and Germany.
EC contribution: €2.9 million
http://cordis.europa.eu/fetch?CALLER=FP7_PROJ_FR&ACTION=D&DOC=35&CAT=PROJ&QUERY=011e62f72570:55d9:4c02e724&RCN=88200