Welcome to the tenth
issue of the Neuronet newsletter!
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We hope this newsletter finds you well. As we move towards the end of our Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI) funding period, we're glad to see that we're keeping momentum in collaborating with and supporting the IMI neurodegeneration (ND) research programme.
Last month, we convened our 8th Scientific Coordination Board meeting with updates on our Asset Map and Regulatory and HTA engagement – Decision Tool, as well as the white papers and publications that are in the pipeline. Furthermore, we discussed the activities during the last 6 months of the funding period focusing on priorities (such as the set-up of the NEURO Cohort, aligning and connecting projects as well as the organisation of workshops - including one on digital endpoints), sustainability and how we can help IMI ND projects.
The recordings of our third concluding Neuronet networking event, as part of the Alzheimer Europe conference in 2021, are now publicly available. The event was titled "Programme impact analysis - where we are and where we need to go". Over the course of four parallel sessions, we showcased public and patient involvement, common challenges & lessons learned, how preclinical research can have a potential impact on people's lives and had a look into the future as well as the portfolio's impact.
On the social media front, we're happy to have showcased the programmes breadth via a social media campaign during #BrainAwarenessWeek. For this purpose, communication representatives collaborated together in developing short clips, introducing the different projects.
Apart from providing you with project updates, this newsletter also features two more interviews as part of our series "Spotlight on Early Career Researchers". Having the general public in mind, we showcase their work in IMI ND projects. This issue features authors of relevant recent publications: Alexander Neumann (EMIF), as well as Ilaria Ottonelli (IM2PACT).
Happy reading and enjoy!
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Carlos Díaz
Neuronet Project Coordinator
CEO, SYNAPSE
Research Management Partners
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Lennert Steukers
Neuronet Project Leader
Associate Director,
Clinical Scientist, Janssen Pharmaceutica NV
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Interviews ___________________________________________________________________
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EMIF: Understanding the genetics of Alzheimer’s disease biomarkers, by examining rare genetic variants obtained from whole exome sequencing
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IM2PACT: Tunneling Nanotubes: A New Target for Nanomedicine?
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News ___________________________________________________________________
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Neuronet conveys 8th Scientific Coordination Board meeting and hosts meetings of its Patient Privacy & Ethics as well as Data Sharing working groups
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During March 2022, Neuronet convened three meetings.
On 1 March, Lennert Steukers and Jessie van Houcke co-moderated a meeting of the data sharing Working Group, attended by data experts from EMIF, EPAD, Mobilise-D, IDEAS-FAST and RADAR-AD along other IMI projects.
On 24 March, Jean Georges moderated a meeting of the ethics & patient privacy WorkingGroup, which was attended by ethics and data protection experts working on IMI neurodegeneration projects.
On 31 March, the eight Scientific Coordination Board meeting took place, chaired by Carlos Díaz. The Board plays a central role in determining how Neuronet should direct its efforts, helping us to identify key challenges and priorities to address.
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Neuronet publishes series of project introduction videos during Brain Awareness Week
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The Neuronet programme launched a series of short introduction videos of the various IMI neurodegeneration projects during Brain Awareness Week from 14 to 20 March via social media.
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New partnership between AMYPAD and ADDI powers global open access to Alzheimer’s disease imaging data
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The AMYPAD consortium is pleased to announce its collaboration with the Alzheimer’s Disease Data Initiative (ADDI), a medical research organisation dedicated to fundamentally transforming Alzheimer’s disease (AD) research, accelerating progress towards new treatments and cures for AD and related dementias.
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First International Society for Preclinical Research Quality Systems Launched
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The Guarantors of EQIPD e.V. (GoEQIPD) announce the formation of a registered association, based in Heidelberg Germany, to host and to ensure the ongoing adoption of the novel preclinical research quality system that can be applied in both the public and private sectors.
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Mobilise-D project update
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The Mobilise-D project had the first five public webinars as part of their ongoing Mobilise-D webinar series, and it has been a great success! The recordings are now available on their YouTube channel and two more have been annouced. In the meanwhile, the project reflects on "The End" of their work on Algorithm development and technical validation.
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First national follow-on study to the EPAD Longitudinal Cohort Study launches
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The European Prevention of Alzheimer’s Dementia (EPAD) Longitudinal Cohort Study continues to be one of the largest cohorts of participants in the pre-dementia stages and will be further enhanced with local follow-on studies inviting the same participants back to continue building up longitudinal data over many years.
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Alzheimer’s Disease Data Initiative
NeuroToolKit Data Hackathon
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ADDI is calling on experts from around the world to join them in a two-week virtual Data Hackathon. Participants will be investigating the potential of different biomarkers in Alzheimer’s disease.
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RADAR-CNS celebrates six years of achievements in its final meeting
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The RADAR-CNS team has held its final project meeting to mark the end of the project’s six-year term and to present the progress and results made during this time.
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The third annual RADAR-AD consortium meeting gathers over 50 project members
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Once a year, RADAR-AD project members from different work streams, patient representatives and scientific advisors gather to present the status of their work, discuss challenges and share ideas for future collaboration and output.
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PD-MitoQUANT team assembles for plenary meeting hosted by the Institut du Cerveau (ICM)
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Some members of the PD-MitoQUANT team were hosted by Dr Olga Corti and the team at the Institut du Cerveau – Paris Brain Institute (ICM) on the 26th – 27th of January 2022, with others joining remotely for a hybrid plenary meeting.
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Neuronet sessions at the Alzheimer Europe Conference
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The Neuronet programme held four parallel sessions as part of the Alzheimer Europe conference on 29 November to 1 December 2021. This involved showcasing public and patient involvement, common challenges & lessons learned, how preclinical research can have a potential impact on people’s lives and have a look into the future as well as the portfolio’s impact.
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Neuronet programme newsletters ___________________________________________________________________
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A quantitative approach towards the characterisation of mitochondrial dysfunction in Parkinson's disease
March 2022 (PD-MitoQUANT)
The consortium approached the end of year 3 of PD-MitoQUANT, and was granted a 6-month extension due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The impressive collection of datasets from both cultured cells and pre-clinical models generated by the consortium are now being put to use and they started validation studies for the targets and signatures in model organisms, 3D ‘Organ-on-a-Chip’ models, directly reprogrammed neurons, and in vivo models, which they will complete in the remaining months of the project.
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Funding ___________________________________________________________________
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This project has received funding from the Innovative Medicines Initiative 2 Joint Undertaking (JU) under grant agreement No 821513. The JU receives support from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme and EFPIA and Parkinson’s UK.
Any related content solely reflects the author's view and neither IMI nor the European Union, EFPIA, or any Associated Partners are responsible for any use that may be made of the information contained herein.
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