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Challenging Hypertension Through Novel Medical Device Development

Objective

Hypertension directly causes approximately 25% of heart attacks in Europe and, in its progressed form of cardiovascular disease, it is estimated to cause 42% of all deaths across Europe annually. Untreated hypertension is one of the primary contributors to a number of the medical conditions with the greatest burden of care, including stroke, dementia and kidney failure. One of the most promising avenues for the treatment of hypertension has been research into primary aldosteronism (PA). In the last ten years, PA has been recognised as the most common curable cause of hypertension. PA is thought to account for up to 18% of all cases of hypertension within the population and is caused by benign shallow adenomas on the surface of the adrenal gland. Researchers have identified the effective treatment of PA as a clear mechanism to address Europe’s hypertension problem. However, finding an effective surgical or pharmaceutical treatment for PA has been challenging to date.
Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) has also been evaluated for the treatment of adrenal cancer . RFA involves the insertion of an ablation needle into adrenal adenoma and passing high frequency electrical current into the gland. The weakness of RFA is that it produces a large ablation zone, which is particular problematic in a small organ typically less than 5cm3 in volume. In many cases, a large proportion of the functional cortex tissue surrounding the adenoma can be destroyed during the RFA process , thereby negating the benefit of the RFA over the traditional adrenalectomy approach. An ideal ablation technology would involve a custom-designed microwave ablation device capable of destroying the shallow adrenal adenoma, while simultaneously protecting the delicate tissue of the remaining gland. That is precisely what is proposed in the REALTA project.

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 GALWAY
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.

€ 149 954,00
Address
UNIVERSITY ROAD
H91 Galway
Ireland

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Region
Ireland Northern and Western West
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.

€ 149 954,00

Beneficiaries (1)

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