Objective
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is caused by degeneration and progressive loss of dopaminergic (DA) neurons of the substantia nigra. In Western countries more than 6 million people live with PD. Currently no cure for this disease is available, existing therapeutic strategies alleviate PD symptoms but do not influence its cause or in other words do not prevent or slow down degeneration of DA neurons. Glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) is one of the few molecules able to protect and repair DA neurons in animal models of PD. GDNF protein and the related factor neurturin were tested in five clinical trials, but the results have been inconclusive. The pharmacokinetic properties of these proteins complicate their therapeutic development. They do not pass blood-brain-barrier (BBB). Moreover, these factors diffuse poorly from the site of injection.
The purpose of current proposal is to combine expertises of the academic and industrial partner in the fields of computational/medicinal chemistry (industrial participant), molecular/behavioural neuroscience and neuropharmacology (academic participant) to develop small molecules passing BBB and efficiently protecting and repairing dopaminergic neurons in vivo. We have developed an initial set of hits that activate GDNF receptors that at 1-10 uM concentration protect and repair DA neurons in vitro. We plan to optimize existing molecules and develop new ones to achieve an active concentration in the range 1-10nM using rational drug design approaches and cell-based screening methods developed by us.
Successful compounds will be tested and optimized for ADMET and pharmacokinetic properties and studied in rat models of Parkinson’s disease to determine their safety, efficacy and other pharmacological characteristics. The expected outcome of this project is generation of safe drug-candidates efficient against Parkinson’s disease manifestations in laboratory animals.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: https://op.europa.eu/en/web/eu-vocabularies/euroscivoc.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: https://op.europa.eu/en/web/eu-vocabularies/euroscivoc.
- natural sciences biological sciences neurobiology
- medical and health sciences basic medicine medicinal chemistry
- natural sciences biological sciences biochemistry biomolecules proteins
- medical and health sciences basic medicine neurology parkinson
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Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
FP7-PEOPLE-2013-IAPP
See other projects for this call
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
MC-IAPP - Industry-Academia Partnerships and Pathways (IAPP)
Coordinator
00014 HELSINGIN YLIOPISTO
Finland
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.