Objective
In Europe >33 million people suffer from diabetes, a chronic disease associated with long-term pathology representing one of the biggest cost factors for the health care system. The ultimate goal of this proposal is to develop a novel immunomodulatory diabetes therapy by identifying parasitic worm (helminth) regulatory mechanisms which protect against autoimmune diseases. The applicants’ previous work has shown that infection with the filarial helminth Litomosoides sigmodontis prevents Type I diabetes onset in the nonobese diabetic (NOD) mouse model and induces regulatory mechanisms.
In the first objective, depletion and transfer experiments will show which L. sigmodontis-induced regulatory mechanisms prevent diabetes onset in NOD mice. Identification of helminth-induced regulatory mechanisms that prevent diabetes onset will enable the establishment of an in vitro screening assay to test worm antigen fractions for their protection.
In the second objective the contribution of endosymbiontic Wolbachia bacteria, present in most human filarial helminths and L. sigmodontis, to the helminth-mediated protective effect will be studied to determine whether Wolbachia antigens should be included in the screening process.
While it is well accepted that helminth infections prevent the onset of autoimmune diseases, it is not known whether helminth infections ameliorate or prevent the onset of metabolic diseases like Type 2 diabetes (e.g. by reducing the associated pro-inflammatory immune response). Thus, the final objective examines whether L. sigmodontis infection prevents the onset of diet-induced insulin resistance in mice.
Identification of helminth-induced regulatory mechanisms that prevent the onset of diabetes, followed by the identification of worm derived products that induce these regulatory immune responses may lead to new treatment regimens for Type I diabetes and prevent the development of Type 2 diabetes without increasing the risk for opportunistic infections.
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.
- natural sciences biological sciences microbiology bacteriology
- medical and health sciences clinical medicine endocrinology diabetes
- medical and health sciences basic medicine immunology autoimmune diseases
- medical and health sciences basic medicine pathology
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Programme(s)
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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
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Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
FP7-PEOPLE-2010-RG
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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.
Coordinator
53127 BONN
Germany
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.