Project Title: Microrna As Mediators of Disease Mechanisms

PARTNER SEARCH

Project title: MicroRNA as mediators of disease mechanisms

Call:

PHC2 – 2015: Understanding diseases: systems medicine

PHC3 - 2015: Understanding common mechanisms of diseases and their relevance in co-morbidities

Project type:

Research and Innovation Action (RIA) - 100% funding scheme

Keywords: microRNAs, biomarkers, co-morbidity, cancer, obesity, neuromuscular diseases, inflammation

Main research areas:

MicroRNA as mediators of disease mechanisms

Short description:

The project proposed aims at studying the role of circulating microRNAs as mediators of disease development and as unique biomarkers in co-morbidities. This hypothesis originates from the notion that specific miRNA signatures have been identified and used for the prediction and diagnosis of different diseases such as cancer, neurodegeneration and neuromuscular diseases. We would like to extend these findings to identify circulating miRNAs that are involved in co-morbidity states. In addition, since it was recently reported that elevated levels of specific miRNAs are encompassed in extracellular vesicles where they might play a role in disease development and spread, it is conceivable that these microRNAs provide common pathological mechanisms of co-morbidity in different diseases. In particular our team would be interested in studying two co-morbid states, obesity and inflammation, together with cancer, neurodegeneration or neuromuscular diseases. The availability of existing mice models of diet-induced obesity and/or inducible immune response deficiency could be used as reliable experimental tools for studying the molecular mechanisms of co-morbidities with the aforementioned diseases.

We search collaborations to validate in human samples the results obtained in mice models and correlate them with clinical data.

Partner profile sought:

• clinical group for sampling and analysis of disease biomarkers from human patients (glioblastoma and/or colorectal cancer, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, Multiple Sclerosis and Muscular dystrophies diseases, obesity)

• bioinformatic team for data analysis

• company for developing diagnostic/therapeutic tools

• research group for studies on the mechanisms of packaging and release of extracellular miRNAs

• research groups interested in studying miRNA function in models of disease co-morbidities

Contact information:

Dr. Armando Felsani

CNR, National Research Council - dep: Institute of Cell Biology and Neurobiology

via Ramarini 32 - 00015 Monterotondo (ROME), Italy

Email:

LE14009

Kancelář podpory mezinárodního výzkumu a mobilit v Moravskoslezském kraji