Project description
A new approach to treating PCOS
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common endocrine disorder, affecting up to 18 % of women worldwide. It is linked to infertility, obesity, type 2 diabetes, and metabolic syndrome, posing a significant health burden. Despite its prevalence, no cure or mechanism-based treatment exists, leaving patients with only symptomatic management. One key factor in PCOS is an abnormal increase in luteinising hormone (LH) pulse frequency, which disrupts ovulation and increases androgen levels. In this context, the ERC-funded GRASP project is investigating whether low doses of a GnRH antagonist can normalise LH secretion, potentially alleviating reproductive and metabolic symptoms. By testing this approach in PCOS-like mice and conducting pilot clinical trials, GRASP aims to pave the way for innovative treatments.
Objective
PCOS is the most common endocrine disorder affecting up to 18% of women worldwide. The syndrome imposes a heavy health burden, covering infertility, obesity, type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome. The development of treatment options is an urgent need since there is currently neither a cure nor mechanism-based treatments, leaving patient management suboptimal and focused solely on symptomatic treatment. One key neuroendocrine aberration in most women with PCOS is increased luteinizing hormone (LH) pulse frequency. This suggests an increase in activity of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) neurons in the hypothalamus. The LH hyper-pulsatility contributes to increased ovarian thecal androgen secretion and failure of ovulation, constituting a pivotal pathogenic role in the syndrome. These evidences suggest that alterations of GnRH neuronal activity/secretion could be the basis for neuroendocrine anomalies that accompany the reproductive disturbances in the syndrome. In GRASP we will test the hypothesis that low administration doses of a GnRH antagonist, aimed at tempering LH secretion/pulsatility, can ameliorate both reproductive and metabolic PCOS traits in animal models of PCOS and in women with PCOS. The specific objectives of GRASP are to i) dose-range GnRH antagonism to rectify LH pulse amplitude and frequency in PCOS-like mice ; ii) to perform a long-term treatment with the selected doses of GnRH antagonist to assess its potential beneficial outcomes in correcting reproductive and metabolic alterations of this preclinical model; iii) to perform a pilot dose-effect clinical investigation testing the ability of sub-therapeutic doses of GnRH antagonist to rectify the altered hormonal dynamics in women with PCOS. The overall goal of GRASP is to provide a proof-of-concept for future long-duration randomized controlled trials of this approach to appraise its clinical benefits in women with PCOS and to move forward towards therapeutic innovation.
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 endocrinology diabetes
- medical and health sciences health sciences nutrition obesity
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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.
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HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
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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.
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.
HORIZON-ERC-POC - HORIZON ERC Proof of Concept Grants
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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.
(opens in new window) ERC-2022-POC2
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
75654 PARIS
France
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.