Objective
Osteoarthritis (OA) and Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) are painful and debilitating diseases characterized by cartilage degeneration, swelling, and decreased function of the synovial joints. It is the leading cause of disability in the developed countries affecting one of every six people and resulting in a significant cost on health and social care systems. Cartilage degeneration can be characterized by the imbalance of a complex network of regulatory proteins. Interleukin-1 (IL-1) and Tumour Necrosis Fact or-alpha (TNF-alpha) are two major cytokines responsible for the pathogenesis of arthritis. Current pharmaceutical interventions are based on the inhibition of these pro-inflammatory pathways. This project utilizes a multidisciplinary approach characterized by the fusion of two seemingly different areas: Biomechanics and Systems Biology. The biomechanical approach will be used to monitor the degradation of cartilage explants by measuring alterations on the mechanical properties. Indentation tests will be combined with biphasic finite element models in order to measure the Young's modulus and the permeability of the tissue.
The systems biology approach will be employed to investigate the possible cross-talks of several signalling cascades that govern cartilage degeneration (i.e. TNF-alpha, IL-1, FasL). The measurements of several intracellular and extracellular protein concentrations as well as their activity state will be correlated to the alteration of the mechanical properties of the tissue by using a statistical approach such as principal component analysis and partial least squares regression. Predictive models between signalling network activities and phenotypic outcomes will be derived. The multidisciplinary approach of the project will shed light into the molecular pathways that govern cartilage degeneration. Intervention on these intracellular pathways with small molecule inhibitors can lead to new treatments of arthritis.
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: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- medical and health sciences clinical medicine rheumatology
- natural sciences biological sciences biochemistry biomolecules proteins
- natural sciences biological sciences biophysics
You need to log in or register to use this function
We are sorry... an unexpected error occurred during execution.
You need to be authenticated. Your session might have expired.
Thank you for your feedback. You will soon receive an email to confirm the submission. If you have selected to be notified about the reporting status, you will also be contacted when the reporting status will change.
Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
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.
FP6-2004-MOBILITY-12
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.
IRG - Marie Curie actions-International re-integration grants
Coordinator
ZOGRAFOU, ATHENS
Greece
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.