Project description
Software helps apply advanced MRI markers to cerebral images from standard MRI devices
Cerebral small vessel disease (SVD), as its name suggests, is characterised by significant structural and functional abnormalities of the cerebral microcirculation. It is very common in older people and is a major contributor to stroke and brain haemorrhage. SVD is also a leading cause of cognitive impairment and dementia. It is currently difficult to visualise the pathology in vivo until damage is done, and there are no drugs available for prevention or treatment. SELMA has developed techniques to visualise these small vessels in powerful 7-Tesla (7T) MRI machines. It aims to transfer the 7T MRI pulse sequences to common 3T MRI scanners via automated analysis tools to support their ubiquitous use and develop effective SVD treatments through robust biomarkers.
Objective
Problem:
Cerebral small vessel disease (SVD) is a hallmark of serious brain diseases such as acute stroke and dementia. It has a major impact on society, since it affects quality of life of many ageing individuals, and increasingly challenges the healthcare resources. Current image-based biomarkers do not reflect SVD itself, but rather macroscopic, irreversible brain damage, secondary to the abnormalities of the small vessels. This greatly hampers development of new drugs as clinical trials lack effective biomarkers directly reflecting SVD.
Solution:
The SmallVesselMRI ERC project (337333), yielded 7T MRI methods with the potential to offer a paradigm shift in SVD research. We have developed new MRI measures that, for the first time, allow non-invasive assessment of the condition of the small vessels themselves, including blood flow velocity pulsation in small perforating vessels, which informs on vessel stiffness. The current proof-of-concept project ‘trial-ready Small vEsseL MRI MArkers (SELMA) aims to make these novel promising vascular parameters ready for use in phase II/III clinical trials. Our ambition is to bridge the gap between high end imaging research platforms and widespread clinical MRI, in order to enable drug-target engagement studies in clinical trials for newly developed drugs.
SELMA will:
1) Port the small-vessel 7T MRI pulse sequences to clinically ubiquitous 3T MRI scanners. 2) Develop a software tool that can provide robust, automated data analysis. 3) Determine the reproducibility of the SELMA biomarkers in a group of 35 healthy individuals with scan-rescan experiments. 4) Provide clinical proof of concept by a pilot study in 15 patients with SVD, measuring the vascular parameters before and after administration of a pharmaceutical agent. Using results of our proof of concept study, we will develop a business plan to approach the pharmaceutical industry to change the paradigm in drug development for SVD treatment.
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.
- medical and health sciences basic medicine pharmacology and pharmacy drug discovery
- natural sciences computer and information sciences data science
- natural sciences computer and information sciences software
- medical and health sciences basic medicine neurology dementia
- medical and health sciences basic medicine neurology stroke
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Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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H2020-EU.1.1. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - European Research Council (ERC)
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Topic(s)
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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.
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.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2018-PoC
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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.
3584 CX Utrecht
Netherlands
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