Aqua-Synapse · The health benefits of deuterium depletion on synaptic function, regional metabolism, and behaviour
Horizon Europe — Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
- Duration
- 2023-01-01 → 2026-12-31
- EU contribution
- €763,600
- Participants
- 7
- Scheme
- HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-SE
Lines connect the coordinator with its partners. CORDIS does not always give exact coordinates for projects before 2014. These points are placed at city or country level.
Results in brief
The health benefits of deuterium depletion on synaptic function, regional metabolism, and behaviour
The AquaSynapse project addresses significant gaps in our understanding of deuterium-depleted water (DDW) and its potential health benefits. DDW, which contains lower levels of deuterium, has been linked to a range of health effects, including better stress response, reduced disease susceptibility, cancer prevention, and even antidepressant effects similar to pharmaceutical treatments in animal models. However, despite these promising results, the mechanisms behind these effects are not well understood, and the optimal concentrations and regimens for achieving these benefits have yet to be determined. This is especially important as DDW is already being sold in Europe with various health claims, many of which lack solid scientific backing or safety data. AquaSynapse aims to address these uncertainties by investigating how reduced deuterium levels in drinking water affect metabolism, brain function, and behavior. The project will use advanced imaging and spectroscopy techniques to study how DDW impacts metabolic processes and brain activity at different concentrations and durations. By combining molecular, cellular, and physiological research, AquaSynapse will work to uncover the mechanisms that explain DDW's effects and determine the best ways to use it to improve health. This research is crucial, especially considering the growing market for DDW products. While these products are promoted with claims of various health benefits, there is little rigorous scientific evidence to support many of these assertions. AquaSynapse will provide solid evidence to confirm or challenge these claims, ensuring that DDW products meet safety standards and are genuinely beneficial. The findings could lead to new ways to address stress-related conditions, metabolic disorders, and mental health issues, while also helping to shape regulatory policies for DDW and guide the development of reliable, science-backed health products, that could be commercialized. Beyond advancing scientific knowledge, AquaSynapse will also foster collaboration across disciplines, bringing together experts in chemistry, nanotechnologies, advanced materials, pharmacology, psychiatry, and imaging. The project will offer training and development opportunities for early-stage researchers, encourage international cooperation and advance innovation in the field. Ultimately, AquaSynapse has the potential to reshape our understanding of DDW, provide a strong foundation for its health benefits, and contribute to the development of safe and effective products in the healthcare and wellness industries. This will not only benefit consumers but also support industries looking to innovate and meet the demand for scientifically validated health products.
Data: CORDIS, © European Union
Project objective
Core idea of this project is to establish the mechanistic basis for the positive health effects of deuterium depleted water and determine what regimens are most efficacious. Isotope content of drinking water has been shown affect the pathogenesis of cancers to ameliorate the stress response and reduce susceptibility to many diseases, but it remains unclear how the positive biological effects of heavy isotope reduction in drinking water are mediated. High concentrations of deuterium induce mitochondrial dysfunction, and very high concentrations can induce cell death, but the administration of deuterium at 91 ppm has antidepressant effects that were comparable to that of citalopram in a mouse model of depression. Use of deuterium depleted water appears to represent a safe intervention with few, if any, reported side effects, but it remains unclear at what concentrations the positive metabolic and behavioral effects become apparent. Companies in Europe now sell DDW at different concentrations to the public amidst a plethora of health claims that mostly lack in any sound scientific basis or safety data Thus, there is an urgent need to better understand the impact of DDW on brain and behavior at a molecular level. We will use state-of-the art imaging techniques to measure regional metabolic fluxes in the body of animals in healthy individuals throughout life and those subject to stress following the administration of DDW at different concentrations and for different periods. Also we examine how deuterium depletion affects the behaviors of neurons in vitro and electrophysiological levels and in terms of their metabolism. The project is made possible by bringing together a consortium of chemists, cell biologists, pharmacologists, imaging specialists, psychiatrists, and DDW producers for ‘medicinal needs’ in fully translational work packages to discover, in an empiric manner, how the manipulation of metabolic pathways with DDW can be employed for the benefit of human health
Original text from CORDIS.
Participants
- COFAC COOPERATIVA DE FORMACAO E ANIMACAO CULTURAL CRL · LISBOACoordinatorPortugal
- FUNDACAO GIMM - GULBENKIAN INSTITUTE FOR MOLECULAR MEDICINE · LISBOAPortugal
- HYD RAKKUTATO ES GYOGYSZERFEJLESZTO KFT · BudapestHungary
- NEUROPLAST BV · GeleenCity levelNetherlands
- TECHNOSMART EUROPE S.R.L. · RomaItaly
- THE CHANCELLOR, MASTERS AND SCHOLARS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD · OxfordUnited Kingdom
- UNIVERSITAETSKLINIKUM WUERZBURG - KLINIKUM DER BAYERISCHEN JULIUS-MAXIMILIANS-UNIVERSITAT · WURZBURGGermany
Links
- View on CORDIS
- DOI: 10.3030/101086453
- https://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/documents/downloadPublic?documentIds=080166e50e02deda&appId=PPGMS
- https://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/documents/downloadPublic?documentIds=080166e50e02e282&appId=PPGMS
- https://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/documents/downloadPublic?documentIds=080166e51bb7488c&appId=PPGMS
- https://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/documents/downloadPublic?documentIds=080166e52d119dbd&appId=PPGMS
- https://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/documents/downloadPublic?documentIds=080166e52d122e16&appId=PPGMS
- https://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/documents/downloadPublic?documentIds=080166e5fdd223a0&appId=PPGMS
- https://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/documents/downloadPublic?documentIds=080166e5fdd22a63&appId=PPGMS
Data: CORDIS, © European Union
