Descrizione del progetto
Biomarcatori di infiammazione cronica non invasivi basati su nanoparticelle
Il trattamento dell’infiammazione cronica irrisolta che porta allo sviluppo di molte malattie, tra cui il cancro, le malattie cardiovascolari, le malattie autoimmuni, le malattie neurologiche e l’artrite reumatoide, deve coinvolgere la caratterizzazione longitudinale del processo basata sulle immagini. Esiste tuttora l’esigenza insoddisfatta di una tecnologia diagnostica non invasiva che possa essere utilizzata insieme ai marcatori convenzionali dei biofluidi e per le biopsie. Ciò è particolarmente importante nei casi in cui un trattamento richiede cambiamenti di stile di vita preventivi a lungo termine. Il progetto Unusual-IV, finanziato dall’UE, intende sviluppare biomarcatori clinici non invasivi dell’infiammazione, basati su nanoparticelle, in grado di aiutare nella diagnostica, nella previsione del risultato e nella valutazione della risposta alla terapia o alla strategia preventiva.
Obiettivo
"Cancer. Cardiovascular disease. Autoimmune disease. Neurological disease. Rheumatoid arthritis.
What do these diseases have in common? -Chronic inflammation.
In recognition of this, the NIH organised a focus session on the current clinical needs around inflammation in 2019, stating “Tools to locate and monitor inflammation are critical for developing effective interventions to arrest inflammation and promote its resolution. Clinical speakers described their needs for image‐based capabilities ... to guide treatment planning and undertake necessary interventions…All speakers agreed that multiple inflammatory measures should be acquired longitudinally to comprehend the dynamics of unresolved inflammation that leads to disease development.”
As an example, atherosclerosis- the #1 killer in developed countries- is now known to be a chronic inflammatory disease . Mounting clinical evidence suggests that effective treatment requires a reduction in both LDL levels (cholesterol) and underlying inflammation. However, a simple reduction in inflammation, measured by serum markers, has not proven successful in the clinic . Thus, as also found by the NIH workshop, treatment plans must take into account the inflammation status in the vessel walls in a longitudinal manner, which cannot be measured by blood tests.
This is no small task, as chronic inflammation is often asymptomatic until disease has developed. Pubmed has over 36,000 review articles on chronic inflammation. The ultimate goal is to have clinical noninvasive biomarkers of inflammation that can help in diagnosis, predict outcome and assess response to therapy or preventative strategy.
Overall, there is an unmet need to noninvasively diagnose inflammation, that can be used in conjunction with conventional biofluid and biopsy markers. This is particularly the case when treatment includes longterm preventative lifestyle changes. Noninvasive clinical imaging could be the solution."
Campo scientifico
- medical and health sciencesclinical medicinerheumatology
- medical and health scienceshealth sciencesinflammatory diseases
- medical and health sciencesclinical medicinecardiologycardiovascular diseasesarteriosclerosis
- medical and health sciencesbasic medicineimmunologyautoimmune diseases
- medical and health sciencesclinical medicineoncology
Parole chiave
Programma(i)
Meccanismo di finanziamento
ERC-POC - Proof of Concept GrantIstituzione ospitante
1052RK Amsterdam
Paesi Bassi
L’organizzazione si è definita una PMI (piccola e media impresa) al momento della firma dell’accordo di sovvenzione.