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Content archived on 2024-06-18

ProNet - Prosthetic Transgene Networks for the Treatment of Metabolic Disorders

Objective

Since living memory, the basic treatment strategies for the therapy of human diseases has not much changed conceptually. Although the molecular understanding of metabolic disorders continues to progress significantly the therapeutic strategy is still based on specific, often heterologous compounds which interfere with critical disease targets, trigger a metabolic bypass reaction or complement a molecular deficiency. As systems biology is revealing gene-function correlations and metabolic network dynamics at great pace and synthetic biology enables bottom-up de-novo design of genetic devices with predictable behaviour, time has now come to develop novel treatment strategies. Prosthetic genetic networks are expected to play a central part of such future treatment strategies. Prosthetic networks are synthetic sensor/effector devices or molecular prostheses which, upon integration into cells and functional connection to their metabolism, monitor disease-relevant metabolites, process off-level concentrations and coordinate adjusted diagnostic, preventive or therapeutic responses in a seamless, automatic and self-sufficient manner. Using a synthetic biology approach and capitalizing on our pioneering prosthetic network designed to control urate homeostasis and treat the tumour lysis syndrome as well as gouty arthritis, ProNet is a highly integrated, multiparallel and interdisciplinary effort to provide a series of prosthetic sensor/effector circuits for precise trigger-control of therapeutic transgenes. ProNet will focus on providing novel treatment opportunities for diabetes and obesity, two core pathologies of the metabolic syndrome, which is on its way to become the top epidemic of the 21st century. ProNet may provide new opportunities for the treatment strategies of the future thereby making the classic therapy of taking pills and getting injections in specified amounts and at particular times likely to become a thing of the past.

Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)

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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.

Call for proposal

Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.

ERC-2012-ADG_20120314
See other projects for this call

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.

ERC-AG - ERC Advanced Grant

Host institution

EIDGENOESSISCHE TECHNISCHE HOCHSCHULE ZUERICH
EU contribution
€ 2 498 800,00
Address
Raemistrasse 101
8092 Zuerich
Switzerland

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Region
Schweiz/Suisse/Svizzera Zürich Zürich
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
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Total cost

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.

No data

Beneficiaries (1)

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