Centre for Excellence in Diagnostic and Advanced Therapeutics based on Extracellular Vesicles

Información del proyecto

EVCA

Identificador del acuerdo de subvención: 101079264

DOI

10.3030/101079264

Proyecto cerrado

Fecha de la firma de la CE 9 Septiembre 2022

Fecha de inicio 1 Noviembre 2022

Fecha de finalización 30 Abril 2026

Financiado con arreglo a

• Widening participation and spreading excellence

Coste total

€ 1 487 209,13

Aportación de la UE

€ 1 487 208,75

Coordinado por

UNIVERSIDADE NOVA DE LISBOA
Portugal

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - EVCA (Centre for Excellence in Diagnostic and Advanced Therapeutics based on Extracellular Vesicles)

Período documentado: 2022-11-01 hasta 2024-01-31

Resumen del contexto y de los objetivos generales del proyecto

Advancing Medical Research with Extracellular Vesicles

EVCA, which stands for Extracellular Vesicles in Clinical Applications, is a project focused on using tiny particles called extracellular vesicles (EVs) to improve diagnostics and therapies. The project's full title is "Centre for Excellence in Diagnostic and Advanced Therapeutics based on Extracellular Vesicles".

The main goal of EVCA is to help NOVA Medical School (NMS) become a world-renowned center for using EVs in medical research and treatments. To achieve this, NMS is collaborating with two top research institutions: Institut Curie in France and CIC bioGUNE in Spain.

Through this partnership, EVCA aims to:

1. Combine the diverse knowledge and experience from each institution.
2. Share the best practices in research and training.
3. Expand collaborative networks.
4. Enhance the skills and management of researchers at NMS.
5. Establish new medical research areas with focus on EVs.

In essence, EVCA is working to push the boundaries of medical science by making NMS a leader in the innovative use of extracellular vesicles for clinical purposes.

Trabajo realizado desde el comienzo del proyecto hasta el final del período abarcado por el informe y los principales resultados hasta la fecha

To achieve the above-mentioned objectives, EVCA consortium members have executed a wide range of activities:

1. Seed money for internal projects targeting medical questions by applying EV research was provided through a competitive call.
2. Training of senior and early-career researchers in state-of-the-art EV research methodologies.
3. A summer school was organized, which will soon take place at NMS.
4. Staff exchange programs were executed to improve the management of research.
5. Scientific conferences, outreach activities to the general public, and participation in national and international conferences were supported through competitive calls.
6. Applications for international grants were submitted to enable the consortium to continue activities in the long run. A Marie Curie staff exchange program, were approved.
7. One provisional patent was submitted, and another one is in the planning stage.
8. Three research papers were accepted, and three are currently under review.
9. Two clinical consortia were established to test novel EV-based diagnostic methods for cancer.

Avances que van más allá del estado de la técnica e impacto potencial esperado (incluida la repercusión socioeconómica y las implicaciones sociales más amplias del proyecto hasta la fecha)

EVCA has developed novel quality control measures, which are essential for moving EV research to the clinic. Furthermore, a novel EV enrichment methodology was established, which we have demonstrated can be interfaced with omics technologies. Finally, we are moving forward in our attempts to provide evidence of clinical usability for novel EV-based early detection methods for cancer.