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HEDoctoral network2023–2027

EGRET-AAA · European Glaucoma Research Training program - Advancing the Approach of Advanced glaucoma

Horizon Europe — Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Duration
2023-02-01 → 2027-12-31
EU contribution
€4,116,902
Participants
25
Scheme
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-DN-JD

Lines connect the coordinator with its partners.

Results in brief

European Glaucoma Research Training program - Advancing the Approach of Advanced glaucoma

Glaucoma is a common age-related eye disease and one of the leading causes of irreversible blindness worldwide. It gradually damages the optic nerve, which connects the eye to the brain, causing severe vision loss and even blindness over time. Unfortunately, current treatments can only slow down the disease—they cannot stop, let alone reverse it. As a result, people with glaucoma require lifelong medical care, and many of them also low-vision care, which places a significant burden on healthcare systems, especially in the EU. Our research is about helping patients with advanced glaucoma—those who are already severely visually impaired or completely blind. Our ultimate goal is to protect any remaining vision and even restore partial sight, allowing individuals to maintain or regain their independence in daily life. To achieve this, we have appointed 15 researchers working on three topics: 1. Developing new treatments to help repair damage caused by glaucoma 2. Understanding how a healthy eye prevents vision loss to develop neuroprotective approaches 3. Developing and improving tests that measure visual abilities and structural or functional changes of the optic nerve and the brain in advanced glaucoma

Data: CORDIS, © European Union

Project objective

EGRET-AAA is a joint doctorate program to provide training in glaucoma research, leading to joint doctoral degrees for 15 ESRs. It converts existing partnerships between universities into long-lasting ones. Together with many private and societal partners, our consortium forms a cradle for a European network of highly skilled, resilient, entrepreneurial and creative researchers, who will inspire each other to excel in glaucoma research, both during and long after the funding period. EGRET-AAA will produce innovative treatments to protect and restore vision in patients with progressive eye disease glaucoma. By using revolutionary human retinal organoids, we will accelerate the development of new treatments and bring gene therapy and stem cell-based approaches a major step closer to clinical implementation, while minimizing the need for animal research. Through our findings, we will be able to protect the regenerated eye-brain connections and develop diagnostic techniques to select patients suitable for treatment and to evaluate intervention effects. By doing so, we will ultimately save approximately 1 million Europeans from blindness, and another 5 million from significant vision loss, thereby increasing their quality of life, and dramatically reducing societal and health care costs.Through our interdisciplinary and inter-sectoral training, the 15 ESRs will gain essential skills and assets for success in a broad range of careers in academia and beyond. Based on our previous experience gained on multiple training networks, we believe that this timely program provides an in-depth graduate research training environment of unrivalled quality and pertinence, far greater and better than the sum of its parts. By anticipating continued demand for the skills and experience of our ESRs, we see EGRET-AAA as the precursor of a permanent and sustainable glaucoma-focused European doctoral program.

Original text from CORDIS.

Participants

  • ACADEMISCH ZIEKENHUIS GRONINGEN · GroningenCoordinatorNetherlands
  • AMO GRONINGEN BV · GroningenNetherlands
  • BULBITECH AS · TRONDHEIMNorway
  • CARL VON OSSIETZKY UNIVERSITAET OLDENBURG · OldenburgGermany
  • E6 MediadienstenNetherlands
  • EUROGRANT GMBH · DresdenGermany
  • Fundament Subsidieadvies · HilversumNetherlands
  • HERTZ BRIGITTE · AmstelveenNetherlands
  • Heidelberg Engineering GmbH · HeidelbergGermany
  • IMEDOS HEALTH GMBH · JenaGermany
  • MindAffect B.V. · EdeNetherlands
  • NORGES TEKNISK-NATURVITENSKAPELIGE UNIVERSITET NTNU · TrondheimNorway
  • OTTO-VON-GUERICKE-UNIVERSITAET MAGDEBURG · MagdeburgGermany
  • Oogvereniging Nederland · UtrechtNetherlands
  • PLATEFORME EUROPEENNE DES FEMMES SCIENTIFIQUES AISBL · Bruxelles / BrusselBelgium
  • PRO RETINA DEUTSCHLAND · AachenGermany
  • RIJKSUNIVERSITEIT GRONINGEN · GroningenNetherlands
  • SORBONNE UNIVERSITE · ParisFrance
  • STICHTING AMSTERDAM UMC · AmsterdamNetherlands
  • STICHTING KONINKLIJKE VISIO, EXPERTISECENTRUM VOOR SLECHTZIENDE EN BLINDE MENSEN · HUIZENNetherlands
  • STICHTING RADBOUD UNIVERSITEIT · NijmegenNetherlands
  • Siemens Healthineers Nederland B.V. · Den HaagNetherlands
  • THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS SYSTEM · AustinUnited States
  • UNIVERSITEIT VAN AMSTERDAM · AmsterdamNetherlands
  • UNIVERSITETET I OSLO · OsloNorway

Links

Data: CORDIS, © European Union