Project description
Innovative diagnostic-therapeutic treatment for neurological diseases
Epilepsy is a severe and chronic brain disease characterised by intermittent seizures. Closed-loop implanted devices have the potential to reduce seizures in drug-resistant patients. However, their efficacy is limited and requires constructing devices from non-organic materials implanted in the brain. The EU-funded PRIME project aims to build 'living brain implants' that can detect transfer RNA (tRNA) fragment molecules in patients before a seizure occurs, and compute them to perform actuation. The actuation is in the form of seizure-suppressing treatment relying on engineering human cells to detect the tRNA fragment and trigger pre-emptive release of therapeutic molecules. The transformational diagnostic-therapeutic solution from PRIME can also be used for other neurological diseases.
Objective
There remain urgent and unmet needs for the treatment of neurological diseases. Epilepsy is a serious, chronic brain disease characterized by recurrent seizures. Closed-loop, implanted devices offer ways to reduce seizures in drug-resistant patients but their efficacy is poor and they interrupt seizures only after they begin. PRIME capitalizes on a breakthrough discovery that transfer RNA (tRNA) fragments, a novel class of noncoding RNA, increase in patients in advance of when a seizure occurs. We propose to engineer human cells to respond to tRNA fragment elevations as the trigger for pre-emptive release of glial-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF), a seizure-suppressing and disease-modifying treatment. Artificial Intelligence (AI) algorithms will be used to integrate OR or AND logic gate functions in the switching process, depending on the quantity and type of tRNA fragments and timing of their release in a given epileptic network and a second, fail-safe calcium-dependent pathway will allow GDNF release in the event of a breakthrough seizure. This enables a precise level of personalization in the design of the bio-computing cells, which will be encapsulated into a membrane device within the microenvironment scaffold, enabling the engineered cells to co-exist with natural brain tissue. Validation of the bio-computing cells will be tested in both in vitro microfluidic organ-on-a-chip as well as in vivo tests for effects on spontaneous seizures in rodents with epilepsy. PRIME’s results will provide a transformational diagnostic-therapeutic treatment for epilepsy and other neurological diseases that feature disrupted neuronal network function.
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.
This project's classification has been human-validated.
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.
This project's classification has been human-validated.
- medical and health sciences basic medicine neurology epilepsy
- medical and health sciences health sciences personalized medicine
- natural sciences biological sciences genetics RNA
- medical and health sciences basic medicine medical genetics
- medical and health sciences medical biotechnology cells technologies
Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
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.
-
H2020-EU.1.2. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Future and Emerging Technologies (FET)
MAIN PROGRAMME
See all projects funded under this programme -
H2020-EU.1.2.1. - FET Open
See all projects funded under this programme
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.
RIA - Research and Innovation action
See all projects funded under this funding scheme
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) H2020-FETOPEN-2018-2020
See all projects funded under this callCoordinator
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.
X91 K0EK Waterford
Ireland
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.