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Validation of α-synuclein Modifications in Parkinson’s dIsoRder Evolution

Project description

Innovative diagnostics for early Parkinson’s disease detection

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder affecting over 9.4 million people worldwide and potentially exceeding 12 million cases globally by 2040. Despite advancements, early diagnosis and treatment remain challenging due to the lack of reliable biomarkers. Misfolded α-synuclein proteins play a key role in PD pathology and have emerged as promising diagnostic targets. The EU-funded VαMPiRE project will study α-synuclein isoforms in neuronal-derived extracellular vesicles from a large cohort of PD patients and non-PD individuals. Project findings will contribute to the development of a novel in vitro diagnostic test for early PD detection and progression monitoring. This innovation could enhance early screening and detection, improve disease management and patient outcomes to develop better treatments.

Objective

Parkinson's disease (PD) presents a complex challenge due to its progressive neurodegenerative nature, affecting various body systems. Despite decades of research, understanding its onset and progression remains unclear, complicating early diagnosis and treatment. Recent advancements in PD physiopathology suggest promising treatments to slow disease progression, yet reversing cellular degeneration remains elusive. With novel therapies emerging, the need for early detection tools is urgent. However, validated biomarkers for PD diagnosis are lacking, relying on subjective scales like Hoehn and Yahr or costly medical imaging techniques. The accumulation of misfolded α-Synuclein (α-Syn) proteins in PD pathology has sparked interest, but defining diagnostic roles requires further investigation. Recent findings of α-Syn in neuronal-derived extracellular vesicles (NDEVs) from PD patients suggest a potential for novel diagnostic methods. Our proposed project, VαMPiRE, aims to conduct a longitudinal study involving 600 PD patients and 600 healthy subjects to explore α-Syn isoforms and related biomarkers in NDEVs for early PD detection.
We plan to develop and validate an innovative in-vitro diagnostic (IVD) test capable of detecting PD's earliest stages and estimating disease prognosis and progression. Utilizing AI models to generate data analysis algorithms and collaboration with leading analytical laboratories and IVD manufacturers, we aim to ensure the reliability and feasibility of the developed prototype. Through consortium efforts, we envision licensing the generated intellectual property to drive the commercialization of our results.
This can improve early screening of 270,000 new cases of PD could be detected early and improve the disease management of 9.4 M people currently diagnosed of PD and avoid losing a total of 5.8 million disability adjusted life years (DALYs) by 2028 leading also the development of better treatments.

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Topic(s)

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HORIZON-RIA - HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions

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Call for proposal

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(opens in new window) HORIZON-HLTH-2024-DISEASE-03-two-stage

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Coordinator

LINKCARE HEALTH SERVICES SL
Net EU contribution

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.

€ 1 619 062,50
Address
CALLE ROGER DE LLURIA 50, SaT A
08009 Barcelona
Spain

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SME

The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.

Yes
Region
Este Cataluña Barcelona
Activity type
Private for-profit entities (excluding Higher or Secondary Education Establishments)
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Total cost

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No data

Participants (12)

Partners (1)

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