EVOluTION · European Vascular Interventions and Therapeutic Innovation Network

European Vascular Interventions and Therapeutic Innovation Network

EVOluTION, the European Vascular Intervention and Therapeutic Innovation Network, has trained 11 ESRs in endogenous mechanisms of tissue protection, harnessing the vasculature as the common conduit with an impact on a variety of diseases, from hypertension to vascular calcification, from atherosclerosis to myocardial infarction and kidney disease. What does it mean? We have trained on and studied mechanisms that are important for our physiological well-being with the aim of exploiting them for innovative therapeutic approaches to treat several chronic pathologies that affect our society. Thus, the underpinning objective of this ITN is to harness what we can learn from physiology (health), and what we can exploit from this knowledge (innovation) to develop new therapies for pathology (disease). There is an acute need for new medicines to treat chronic widespread high penetrance diseases of the Western world. Despite large investments in drug development (€ 1.2 billion is the current estimate for completing the bench to bed path), the majority of compounds fail to make it to the clinic. This occurs against a background where current therapies are burdened, especially on chronic administration, by substantial side effects that limit their use and efficacy. To fill this gap, EVOluTION has created a doctorate programme to deliver innovative training on preclinical and clinical science, commercial and business aspects, intellectual properties and more, covering the multiple aspects of the drug discovery and development process. The scientific response to the unmet needs identified by EVOluTION consortium is a focus on endogenous tissue protective mediators and pathways as a way that could guide the development of innovate therapeutic approaches: therapeutic strategies based on the processes operative in our body to heal and repair will be innovative in their mode of action. With EVOluTION a conducive structure formed by 5 leading academic institutions and a number of pharma and biotech companies was formed. The scientific and educational expertise of the beneficiaries and partners, leaders in areas like computational chemistry, nutraceuticals, resolution pharmacology and vascular protection has enabled an innovative and transformational programme. This ITN has delivered high-level scientific and complementary training, forging career pathways to increase inter-sectorial and trans-national employability of young entrepreneurially-minded scientists in the academic and non-academic public and private sectors. The long-term objective was to train high-calibre early stage researchers and create a future cadre of European leaders in scientific and aligned disciplines, for the benefit of society at large. The knowledge that scientific training and know-how can benefit society not exclusively when applied in a laboratory, academic or industrial, but also in several other career paths has been a major drive for this ITN.

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