ICI-THROUGH · Intersectoral collaboration for innovation in non-invasive techniques to estimate human brown adipose tissue activity

Intersectoral collaboration for innovation in non-invasive techniques to estimate human brown adipose tissue activity

Recent scientific evidence suggests that brown adipose tissue plays a key role in metabolism which is a major global health concern. Therefore, being able to assess the activity of brown adipose tissue is crucial in the fight against metabolic pandemics such as obesity and its related disorders, and in various industries (e.g., foods, pharmaceuticals). However, the only technique available to measure the activity of this tissue is positron emission tomography/computed tomography imaging of the glucosetracer 18 F-fluorodeoxyglucose, a highly invasive technique that is harmful for human health, expensive, and requires extensive equipment and facilities. The development and validation of non-invasive and practical techniques to accurately estimate human brown adipose tissue activity requires the creation of new technology and the advancement of the current state of the art in human brown adipose tissue biology, thermoregulation, image analysis, and hardware/software design. Companies (particularly SMEs) do not have the technical capabilities or the facilities to conduct R&D activities at the level of excellence required for such development. Academic institutions have the capacity to conduct the R&D necessary to develop the concept into a market product, but they lack a viable supply chain and the expertise to develop the prototype post project and to exploit the product in the market. Thus, measurement of an individual's BAT activity has enormous value for weight management and predisposition to cardio-metabolic disease. It is also critical for treating patients suffering from thyroid, metabolic, and thermoregulatory abnormalities and for its potential prevention and/or treatment of obesity and obesity-associated diseases, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and several cancers. To solve this intersectoral problem, the ICI-THROUGH project worked on the creation of a sustainable innovation platform of intersectoral collaboration between two academic (University of Thessaly and University of Porto) and two industrial (Imedica SA and Center of Technology Research and Innovation Ltd.) European organizations to exchange knowledge on the development of non-invasive techniques to estimate human brown adipose tissue activity. This was achieved via a series of clear and measurable research and innovation objectives that was realized via staff exchanges of experienced (ER) and early-stage (ESR) researchers. All the research and innovation staff exchanges between the academic and the industrial participants incorporated built-in return mechanisms to maximise the impact of the action for knowledge sharing and long-term collaboration. The two academic and two industrial entities of the consortium were complementary with adequate technical and management abilities for the successful implementation of this project. The four ICI-THROUGH participants are experts in brown adipose tissue biology, medical imaging, human physiology and hardware/software development. Finally, they had participated in previous knowledge transfer programmes funded by the EU. For the 2nd reporting period, the consortium partners had a successful cooperation and worked very well together as a result the action has achieved all of its objectives. The consortium developed an ICI-THROUGH prototype that will employ the optimum technique (i.e., HFTs or infrared thermography) to derive the activity of brown adipose tissue (BAT).

Текст от CORDIS, на английски · Данни: CORDIS, © Европейски съюз