Project description
A 3D screening platform for drugs against bone diseases
Bones undergo constant formation and resorption, a process known as bone remodelling. So far, the testing of new drugs against bone diseases associated with dysfunctional bone remodelling, such as osteoporosis, has been performed on cells or in animals. The big drawback in the first approach is that it ignores the interplay between the different cell types in bone and their microenvironment. The EU-funded BoneScreen project will address this issue by developing a drug screening platform that monitors the interaction of tissue-specific cells with their surrounding environment. This ex vivo investigation offers an improved way to visualise the 3D nature of the bone and will help to reduce the number of in vivo experiments while expediting drug discovery for bone diseases.
Objective
Drug development remains a long and costly process with low success rates in clinical trials. While a majority of cell-based compound screenings are still based on 2D experiments, compelling evidence suggests that 3D culture technologies will accommodate for a better precision in drug discovery. On the other hand, such screening cultures are particularly challenging in terms of 3D visualization. In the BoneScreen project, we propose to develop a high content screening (HCS) platform capable of identifying drugs that alter the reaction of bone cells in terms of bone formation and/or resorption (called bone remodeling). Abnormal bone remodeling is the primary cause of bone diseases such as osteoporosis. Limitations in the development of effective therapeutics for bone remodeling disorders are that the interplay between the bone cells has been ignored, as well as their 3D environment. The micro-computed tomography based monitoring technology of the BoneScreen project is combined with an ex vivo 3D osteochondral system preserving the viability and interactions of tissue-specific cells and their environment. Drug effects are validated in this ex vivo platform by comparison with known drug effects on bone. This system will allow reducing the number of animal experiments needed in drug discovery for bone diseases, as promising leads can first be screened ex vivo before being investigated in vivo. Its experimental design is cost-effective and acceptable in terms of animal welfare and in accordance with the 3Rs. We aim to assess and demonstrate its commercial value to the pharmaceutical industry by building a strong knowledge transfer strategy and by further exploring the platform for potential other applications. In conclusion, the BoneScreen platform has a great fundamental and commercial potential in various fields such as drug discovery for bone diseases.
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.
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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)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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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.
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-LS - ERC Proof of Concept Lump Sum Pilot
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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-2020-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.
5612 AE Eindhoven
Netherlands
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.