Horizon EuropeCardiovascular
SMASH-HCM
With its stealthy progression and diverse manifestations, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is a major health threat. Often misdiagnosed, it claims lives, particularly among young athletes. With this in mind, the EU-funded SMASH-HCM project will develop a digital-twin platform with the aim to finely stratify and manage this complex disease. Integrating dynamic biophysical models and advanced data analytics, SMASH-HCM promises tailored solutions for clinicians and patients. With a consortium of research partners and medical institutions, it’s set to validate its innovative strategies through clinical trials, paving the way for a paradigm shift in cardiac disease management. By uniting research partners, hospitals, SMEs and patient collaboration, SMASH-HCM improves the management of HCM and paves the way for future innovations in cardiac disease management.
EU4HealthRare diseases
DeCODe
The DeCODe consortium represents a ground-breaking initiative aimed at catalysing innovation and addressing the unique healthcare needs of people living with a rare disease, specifically children. This collaborative group, comprising clinicians, researchers, industry experts, and regulatory authorities, will develop a pivotal platform for developing safe and effective paediatric and orphan medical devices. It will do so to accelerate the development of novel, innovative paediatric and orphan medical device solutions at all stages of the product lifecycle towards implementation. The platform’s methodology encompasses a multifaceted approach, beginning with mapping paediatric and orphan medical device stakeholders and initiatives and developing a critical pathway analysis for the optimal way of developing novel paediatric orphan medical technologies.
Horizon EuropeOncology · orthopedics
METASTRA
Cancer metastases to bone reach the spine in 30-70 % of cases, resulting in fracture in about a third of cases. Decisions on whether to operate are based solely on radiographic images. Current scoring systems do not yield a definitive decision in more than half of cases making the decision highly subjective. The EU-funded METASTRA project aims to integrate AI and local biomechanics into biomechanical computational models to stratify patients with high fracture risk due to spine metastasis and identify the best personalised surgical treatment. The team’s highly trained and validated models will be combined in a decision support system that meets future regulatory requirements and tested in a multicentric prospective observational study.
EU H2020Cardiovascular
SimCardioTest
Computer modelling and simulation have the power to increase speed and reduce costs in most product development pipelines. The EU-funded SimCardioTest project aims to implement computer modelling, simulation and artificial intelligence to design and test cardiac drugs and medical devices. Scientists will establish a platform for running in silico trials and obtaining scientific evidence based on controlled investigations. The simulation of disease conditions and cohort characteristics has the potential to overcome clinical trial limitations, such as under-representation of groups. It also reduces the size and duration of human clinical trials as well as animal testing, and offers robust, personalised information. Leveraging in silico technology in healthcare will expedite product and drug certification and offer patients the best possible care.
Data scienceALS · MS
Brainteaser
AI systems can be used to develop models able to predict the progression of multiple sclerosis and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. While both are very complex, chronic and progressive degenerative neurological diseases, their clinical evolution, prognosis and therapies are different. In this context, the EU-funded BRAINTEASER project will develop a system of wearable sensors to enable prediction and advance clinical decision-making and prevention. Specifically, software and apps will be designed to embrace an agile and user-centred design approach, accounting for the technical, medical, psychological and societal needs of the specific users. One main aim is to assist clinicians in suggesting interventions that can delay the progression of the disease.
EUMulti-area
In Silico World
Computer models informed by experimental data enable us to test hypotheses and make predictions, significantly streamlining the research and development cycle relative to trial and error. When it comes to medicine, experimentation relies on biological samples ranging from cultured cells to whole animals, so increased reliance on modelling has additional benefits. Harnessing Big Data and tremendous advances in computing power could pave the way to minimising and eventually eliminating the need for anything other than in silico 'experimentation' in medical research and development. The EU-funded ISW project will bring together a large European consortium and a multi-stakeholder advisory board to lay the groundwork to achieve this goal with attention to the models, regulation, standardisation and more.
TranslationalOrthopedics
Disc4all
Low back pain (LBP) is the leading cause of morbidity worldwide with intervertebral disc degeneration being the underlying aetiology in nearly half of the cases. The EU-funded Disc4All project aims to investigate the interplay of genetic, environmental, cellular and psychological factors in LBP, which at the moment is poorly understood. Researchers will follow an interdisciplinary collaborative approach to integrate this information into a map of degenerative processes and risk factors. At the same time, they will offer an experimental and in silico training programme to early-stage researchers, aiming to endow them with the necessary skills for a translational research career in multifactorial disorders.
