Edukad projektid

eesti keeles / in English

OLIGOPEPTIDASE INHIBITORS IN BRAIN FUNCTION AND DYSFUNCTION: TOWARDS NEW THERAPEUTIC STRATEGIES FOR NEUROPROTECTION

acronym: NEUROPRO
start: 2008-10-01
end: 2012-09-30
 
programme: FP7 - Euroopa Liidu 7. raamprogramm
sub-programme: HEALTH - Tervis
instrument: CP-FP - Väikese- ja keskmisemahulised koostööprojektid
call identifier: FP7-HEALTH-2007-B
project number: 223077
duration in months: 48
partner count: 11
 
abstract: At present more than 5 million people in the EU suffer from dementia and other neurodegenerative diseases and that number will grow as the average age of the population continues to increase. The efficacy of current medicines is limited and new therapeutic targets are sorely needed. Several independent lines of evidence have established an important role of prolyl oligopeptidase (PREP) in brain function and dysfunction. Aberrant PREP activity is involved in the progression of neurodegenerative disorders and PREP inhibitors are being developed for the treatment of memory and cognition deficits. Now a consortium of expert scientists from 8 academic institutes and 3 SME's come together for 4 years in this NEUROPRO project to boost European research aimed at 1) unravelling the biological role of PREP and PREP-like proteins in neuropathology, 2) determining the mode of action of PREP inhibitors and 3) firmly establishing their therapeutic potential. Specialists from different disciplines – cell and molecular biology, enzymology, chemistry, crystallography, biology and pharmacology – will work in a concerted and focussed way to achieve the goals using 6 work packages concentrating on PREP-regulated pathways in health and disease, PREP substrates, inhibitor target identification, drug development and validation, and generation of specific cell lines and animal models of neurodegenerative diseases. The SME’s involved are leaders in PREP inhibitor development and peptide analysis, and have in the past already brought novel therapeutics on the market. By the end of the project we expect to have proof of concept that PREP inhibition is a valid therapeutic target which will ultimately lead to new methods for the early detection, prevention or restoration of PREP-related neurodegeneration. The project also comprises instruments to translate basic research into clinical applications and will thus broaden the scope of treatments available to Europe's ageing population.
partner no and role partner name country contact person web page
1 coordinator KATHOLIEKE UNIVERSITEIT LEUVEN BE Elke Lammertyn http://www.kuleuven.be
2 partner HELSINGIN YLIOPISTO FI Sanna-Maija Miettinen http://www.helsinki.fi/university
3 partner UNIVERSITAET LEIPZIG DE Sabine Herden http://www.uni-leipzig.de
4 partner RESEARCH CENTRE FOR NATURAL SCIENCES, HUNGARIAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCES HU Mária Wagner http://www.ttk.mta.hu
5 partner THE UNIVERSITY OF WARWICK UK Peter Hedges http://www.warwick.ac.uk
6 partner Tartu Ülikool EE Alexander Zharkovsky http://www.ut.ee
7 partner UNIVERSITEIT ANTWERPEN BE Anne Adams http://www.ua.ac.be
9 partner PROBIODRUG AG DE Matthias Hoffmann http://www.probiodrug.de
10 partner PEPSCAN PRESTO BV NL Nard Langendijk http://www.pepscan.com
11 partner CEREBRICON OY FI Kirsi Pohjolainen http://www.cerebricon.com
12 partner ITÄ-SUOMEN YLIOPISTO FI Jaana Backman http://www.uef.fi