Science Europe promotes the collective interests of the Research Funding and Research Performing Organisations of Europe. It supports its Member Organisations in their efforts to foster European research.
It will strengthen the European Research Area (ERA) through its direct engagement with key partners. In doing so it will be informed by direct representation of all scientific communities in its reflections on policies, priorities and strategies.
The STELLAR consortium combines Australian experts on kMSC isolation and characterisation with European experts on renal failure and compounds the state-of-the-art knowledge, facilities and experience needed to develop and validate this novel form of renal therapy.
The inclusion of experienced SMEs, with great technical and scientific know-how about assay and protocol development, further strengthens the consortium and will ensure not only the inclusion of new technology, but also a quick translation from bench to clinical application.
29 million people in the EU suffer from liver disease. Liver disease includes a range of diseases and symptoms, most of which have a significant inflammatory component that leads to liver damage. There are currently no therapies targeting the inflammatory aspects of liver disease.
The MERLIN project is developing stem cell-based therapies that specifically target the inflammatory components of liver disease. The team will deploy a unique stem cell population, isolated using patented techniques and technologies which deliver purer and better-characterised stem cells than those used elsewhere. The cells will first be deployed in a series of pre-clinical tasks which will elucidate how stem cells are distributed around the body (bio–distribution), how stem cells address inflammation (mechanism of action) and how their efficacy and activity changes over time (using novel biomarkers).
The project will then carry out a clinical trial in humans, using stem cells to treat patients with a particularly severe inflammatory liver disease – Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis (PSC).
RETHRIM is an EU sponsored research consortium that has initiated a phase III clinical trial to investigate the usefulness of Mesenchymal Stromal Cells for the treatment of Graft-versus-Host-Disease.
Immune system response is the most complex barrier to long-term success of tissue transplants/implants from allogeneic and bio-artificial sources.
While newly developed tissue transplant procedures are not yet performed frequently enough for robust analysis of adverse immune responses in humans, corneal transplantation (CT) is a well-established allogeneic tissue transplant with >100,000 full- and partial-thickness procedures performed annually.
Osteoarthritis (OA) is an incurable and debilitating disease. It has been identified as the world’s eleventh highest contributor to disability and affects over 70 million Europeans. There is currently no treatment to prevent progression of the disease.
ADIPOA-2 will build on the work of ADIPOA to deliver a large-scale clinical trial in regenerative medicine for OA.
Millions of patients with diabetes mellitus in the EU are using prescription drugs to control their blood glucose levels. Poor control of blood glucose levels leads to a number of diabetic complications, including: nephropathy, retinopathy, cardiomyopathy, neuropathy, impaired bone repair and wound ulceration.
At present, there are few therapeutic options available to control initiation and progression of diabetic complications and they continue to present challenging disease management issues for clinicians. The REDDSTAR Project will comprehensively examine if Stromal Stem Cells can safely control glycaemia and alleviate damage caused by six diabetic complications.
The REACH project aims to develop novel technology for the production of cell-based therapeutic products. Widespread availability of cell therapy products (CTPs) is hindered by its production process.
Xpand Biotechnology BV, together with PreSens Precision Sensing GmbH, Aber Instruments Ltd and Leiden University Medical Centre, will develop an innovative bioreactor system for the CTP industry.
