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A next-generation platform for catalysing pre-clinical development of drugs against Alzheimer’s and other degenerative diseases of old-age

Objective

Degenerative diseases of old age, including cardiovascular diseases, type II diabetes, and chronic respiratory conditions, have emerged as the major causes of death in EU countries. Of special concern are neurodegenerative conditions including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, which have been described as the greatest unmet need facing modern medicine. Developing new therapies to slow, halt, or reverse these pathologies is regarded as a key element in addressing this global health priority. No such therapies have been successfully developed to date.

A major unsolved challenge faced by drug discovery organisations is that for most degenerative conditions, there are no prognostic markers that can be used to predict whether a candidate therapy is likely to improve clinical outcome.

Our solution to this problem exploits the fact that the pathogenesis and progression of all degenerative diseases is associated with oxidative stress. Oxidative stress thus makes an excellent potential prognostic biomarker, but it has been difficult to measure in vivo. Now, under the REDOX ERC Advanced Investigator Award, we have developed a portfolio of next-generation mouse models in which oxidative stress can be monitored at single-cell resolution across all organs. Moreover, the measurements can also be performed non-invasively and in real-time. We believe that these mice provides a new platform with unprecedented utility that can be used by drug-discovery organisations to accelerate, reduce the costs, and increase the predictive power of their pre-clinical pipelines for degenerative conditions. To support commercial exploitation of these models, we will:

a) Show that our oxidative stress biomarkers are elevated in mouse models for two degenerative conditions, Alzheimer’s and Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria Syndrome.
b) Demonstrate that the biomarker signals are reduced in mice administered therapies believed to be disease-modifying.

Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)

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Programme(s)

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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.

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-POC - Proof of Concept Grant

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Call for proposal

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

(opens in new window) ERC-2016-PoC

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Host institution

UNIVERSITY OF DUNDEE
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.

€ 149 961,00
Address
Nethergate
DD1 4HN Dundee
United Kingdom

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Region
Scotland Eastern Scotland Angus and Dundee City
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.

€ 149 961,00

Beneficiaries (1)

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