Project description
Novel cell therapies for diabetes
Diabetes is a chronic disease that affects millions of people worldwide, who have to be administered lifelong injections of insulin. Pancreatic islet transplantation is a very promising alternative therapy that can restore natural production of insulin and ameliorate diabetes symptoms. However, associated challenges demand that many aspects of transplant therapy for diabetes be revisited and optimised. The mission of the EU-funded DELIVER project is to train young researchers in advancing such cellular therapies. The focus is on intramuscular transplantation of pancreatic islets and on strategies to prevent graft rejection. The outcome of the project has great potential to improve the quality of life of diabetes sufferers worldwide.
Objective
The DELIVER EID programme aims to equip 6 industrial PhD graduates with all of the tools required to become creative, entrepreneurial and innovative leaders in the emerging European advanced therapies sector. Advanced therapies are new medicinal products based on genes or cells and tissue engineering products (biomaterials), sometimes used in combination with medical devices. They herald revolutionary treatments for a number of chronic diseases including Alzheimer’s, cancer and the focus of the DELIVER programme, Diabetes Mellitus. We aim to DELIVER the next cohort of translational research scientists in the field of advanced therapies and enabling medical devices for pancreatic islet transplantation, a cell therapy which is poised to become more widespread for the treatment of insulin-dependent diabetes. The DELIVER doctoral training network therefore represents a major interdisciplinary effort between cell biologists, experts in biomaterials, medical devices and advanced drug delivery, clinical experts in islet transplantation and research-active biotech and biomedical companies. Each DELIVER early stage researcher (ESR) will tailor a Personal Career Development Plan (PCDP) to ensure that over the course of the programme the core research skills, advanced research skills and intersectoral transferable skills for a successful career in the advanced therapies sector are acquired. Intersectoral transferable skills training will focus on enhancing career opportunities and employability of the trainees by developing their innovative and entrepreneurial capacity, their communication and leadership skills and their commercial awareness. This will result in graduates with all the skills necessary to innovate, develop and translate advanced therapies for diabetes for the benefit of European patients and industry.
Fields of science
- medical and health sciencesbasic medicinepharmacology and pharmacypharmaceutical drugs
- medical and health sciencesclinical medicineendocrinologydiabetes
- medical and health sciencesclinical medicinetransplantation
- engineering and technologyindustrial biotechnologybiomaterials
- medical and health sciencesmedical biotechnologycells technologies
Programme(s)
Coordinator
H91 Galway
Ireland