Project description
A novel approach to treating chronic abdominal pain
Millions of people worldwide suffer from chronic abdominal pain, a condition often linked to irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). With more than 10 % of the global population affected, the impact costs Europe an estimated EUR 115 billion annually. A safe and targeted solution is needed. In this context, the ERC-funded GUTOCINS project is tackling this challenge by developing gut-stable peptide analgesics that relieve pain directly at its source. This approach ensures high effectiveness while minimising systemic side effects. By optimising patented compounds into oral drug candidates and generating preclinical data, GUTOCINS aims to pave the way for clinical translation. It could also help reduce the societal burden of these chronic conditions.
Objective
Chronic abdominal pain is a widespread debilitating condition commonly associated with gastrointestinal disorders such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). IBS and IBD affect more than 10% of the global population, leaving a severe and steadily growing socio-economic burden on society (€115 billion/year in Europe in direct and indirect health care costs). Adequate pain management for these conditions is imperative but remains challenging since classical analgesics are poorly effective, associated with adverse effects, and can even exacerbate disease progression.
In this project, we will advance a new class of gut-stable peptide analgesics to target abdominal pain at its origin in the gut. This represents a highly innovative treatment strategy with a large safety window due to its gut-specific action and negligible risk of systemic off-target effects. It also addresses a long-standing problem in the peptide therapeutics industry, namely the lack of oral peptide drugs. The objective of this project is to optimise our patented lead compounds towards oral drug candidates and generate robust and supporting preclinical data for clinical translation. The proof-of-concept data will then be used to engage with industry partners and other supporters to advance these drug candidates into the clinic for the treatment of chronic abdominal pain. Our gut-specific treatment approach along with this new class of analgesics could induce a highly desired paradigm shift in how to treat chronic abdominal pain and gastrointestinal disorders, an area with unprecedented unmet medical need. This could benefit millions of people worldwide, improve their quality of life, and help reduce the substantial socio-economic burden that chronic abdominal pain has on society.
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.
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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)
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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.
1010 Wien
Austria
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.