Description of Work Packages
Clinical cohort
Systemic Autoinflammatory Disorders (SAID) are a set of rare diseases and, as such, building a cohort requires the involvement of a significant number of clinical centres. Multiplying the recruiting sites and operating at the pan-European level increases the complexity of the regulatory and logistical dimensions of the study.
The objective is to establish a large collection of samples and associated clinical data from undiagnosed SAID patients (and their parents), monogenic SAID patients and healthy donors follow a rigorously identical process, as a pre-requisite for further biological and computational analyses.
Multi-omics
Multi-omics is a biological analysis approach for gathering and combining data on multiple “omes”. From the samples collected from SAID patients, ImmunAID will investigate:
- The genome, using a genome-wide approach, based on next generation sequencing analysis, aimed at discovering novel genetic variants.See the explaining video.
- The transcriptome, using miRNA analysis aimed at identifying unique mRNA & miRNA profiles in immune cells. See the explaining video.
- The proteome, using mass spectrometry and multiplexed proteomic analyses aimed at pinpointing disease-specific new protein biomarkers in plasma. See the explaining video.
- The microbiome, using shotgun metagenomics aimed at detecting phylogenetic or functional biomarkers.See the explaining video.
Omics being non-targeted approaches, the objective is to identify new mechanisms of pathogenesis, which could be turned into new disease biomarkers and targets for intervention.
{tab title="
" color_inactive_handles="true" outline_content="false"}
{tab 
}
UMR S933 Physiopathologie des maladies génétiques d'expression pédiatrique
Serge Amselem
The research unit UMR S933 INSERM/Université Pierre et Marie Curie is dedicated to the study of the molecular and cellular bases of several human genetic disorders, including SAIDs. This research unit located at the Armand Trousseau hospital in Paris consists of a single team led by Prof S. Amselem. The research activities of this team consist of (i) a fundamental component (identification of the first molecular defects of several genes involved in those disorders followed by functional studies based on several complementary approaches) and (ii) a translational aspect aiming at improving the diagnosis of these disorders (identification of molecular markers).
The work in ImmunAID is performed by Pr. Sonia Athina Karabina (SAK) and Dr. Irina Giurgea (IG) for the design and supervision of the genomic analysis (WP2), the study of the functionality of inflammasomes in SAID and the functional validation of the identified variations in new genes.
{tab 
}
INSERM Unit U976 HIPI: "Human Immunology, Physiopathology and Immunotherapy
V. Soumelis ImmunAID coordinator
Dr Soumelis and his team will play an essential role in driving the project towards its final objectives. This is dictated in WP8. He will also critically contribute to the dissemination of the program and the results (WP7), and will be part of all project committees, overseeing issues such as access to bio bank clinical samples, ethics and integrity, as well as relationships with potential industrial partners. He would be the main contact communicating with European Commission project officers and responsible of delivering reports.
He is in charge of transcriptomics analysis by RNAseq in WP2 and of coordinating WP6 and ensures the smooth operations, development of efficient data management tools, and the use of state-of-the-art and innovative methodologies for diagnostic classification of complex data. He and his team have a strong expertise in integration of heterogeneous biological and clinical data in various disease settings, large scale data analysis, signal integration, and statistical modelling of complex/multidimensional datasets.
Soumelis and A. Hernandez
{tab 
}
Translational Immunology Laboratory - VIB Center for Brain and Disease Research.
Adrian Liston
The mission of the VIB Center for Brain and Disease Research is to perform frontline research, addressing significant questions and key issues relevant to major human health challenges. We focus on basic molecular and cellular mechanisms and use the power of modern genetics and genomics as well as molecular, cellular and developmental biology. The center fosters and promotes excellence in research, with a strong trust in both the creativity of individual researchers and the benefit of synergistic interactions. The Liston’s team will do the Immune phenotyping of autoinflammatory ImmunAID cohort patients (flow cytometry and single cell sequencing) and will participate to the Genetic analysis
VIB Center for Microbiology
Jeroen Raes
The VIB Center for Microbiology combines large-scale, next-generation sequencing with novel computational approaches to investigate the functioning and variability of the healthy human microbiome at the systems level and study its alteration in disease. In this context, we recently discovered the existence of discrete gut flora types (enterotypes) that are independent of host properties such as nationality, sex or race and are studying the predictive power of microbial markers for various intestinal diseases. Raes’ team will perform microbiome analysis of faecal SAID samples to identify novel microbiome-based diagnostic signals and new disease targets
www.vib.be/en/research/scientists/Pages/Jeroen-Raes-Lab.aspx
{tab 
}
Commissariat à l’énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)
France
The CEA is the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission, a public government-funded research organisation working in the areas of energy, defense and security, information
The Centre National de Recherche en Génomique Humaine (CNRGH) headed by Jean-François Deleuze and previously known as the Centre National de Génotypage (CNG), was created in 1999 as a large-scale infrastructure for genetic and other genomic studies with main objective to advance research on the genetics of human diseases through internal and collaborative research programs. The CEA-CNRGH has developed a number of state-of-the-art genomics technology platforms and laboratories for the management of biological resources, for disease gene and biomarkers discovery, and for follow-up of markers with various approaches including functional genomics, and bioinformatics for data management and interpretation. CNRGH will be performing Whole Genome Sequencing on DNA samples from patients from ImmunAID cohort.
jacob.cea.fr/drf/ifrancoisjacob/Pages/Departements/CNRGH.aspx
{tab 
}
ERASMUS UNIVERSITAIR MEDISCH CENTRUM ROTTERDAM (Erasmus MC)
Netherlands
Erasmus University Medical Center Rotterdam is committed to a healthy population and excellence in healthcare through research and education (www.erasmusmc.nl). It is in the top ten of best medical institutes in Europe (QS World University Ranking 2016) and excels in various research fields, studying fundamental and clinical domains as well as public health and prevention with an annual research budget of around €140 million. In addition to scientific research, patient care and education are core tasks of Erasmus MC. It is the top referral center for a region of about five million inhabitants. Erasmus MC is also the largest medical school in the Netherlands.
{tab 
}
UNIVERSITE DE LIEGE (ULG)
Belgium
Liege university represents more than 2000 people- lecturer/researchers, scientists and technicians- involved in its research programs. The moderate size of the University encourages inter-disciplinary research and, more generally, contacts between scientists from various disciplines. There exist numerous partnerships with the industrial sector and the University plays an active role in enhancing the creation of spin-off companies and guiding their development.
The Laboratory of Rheumatology belongs to the Interdisciplinary Cluster for Applied Genoproteomics (GIGA Centre, University of Liège) with over 600 researchers. Dominique De Seny will carry out the proteomics studies by mass spectrometry in WP2.
{tab 
}
VIB Center for Microbiology
Jeroen Raes
The VIB Center for Microbiology combines large-scale, next-generation sequencing with novel computational approaches to investigate the functioning and variability of the healthy human microbiome at the systems level and study its alteration in disease. In this context, we recently discovered the existence of discrete gut flora types (enterotypes) that are independent of host properties such as nationality, sex or race and are studying the predictive power of microbial markers for various intestinal diseases. Raes’ team will perform microbiome analysis of faecal SAID samples to identify novel microbiome-based diagnostic signals and new disease targets
www.vib.be/en/research/scientists/Pages/Jeroen-Raes-Lab.aspx
{/tabs}
Inflammasome-associated pathways
Inflammasomes are multi-molecular platforms triggered by the innate immune system and are responsible for the activation of inflammatory responses. Although inflammasomes may play a key role in the onset of autoinflammatory disorders, knowledge on both upstream (how are they formed?) and downstream (which processes they trigger?) pathways is still scarce.
The main objective is thus to assess the range of functions, dysfunction and biomarker potential of the inflammasome complexes in SAID.
By correlating with omics data from WP2 we will seek to further ascertain inflammasome-associated signatures.
{tab title="" color_inactive_handles="true" outline_content="false"}
{tab 
}
UMR S933 Physiopathologie des maladies génétiques d'expression pédiatrique
Serge Amselem
The research unit UMR S933 INSERM/Université Pierre et Marie Curie is dedicated to the study of the molecular and cellular bases of several human genetic disorders, including SAIDs. This research unit located at the Armand Trousseau hospital in Paris consists of a single team led by Prof S. Amselem. The research activities of this team consist of (i) a fundamental component (identification of the first molecular defects of several genes involved in those disorders followed by functional studies based on several complementary approaches) and (ii) a translational aspect aiming at improving the diagnosis of these disorders (identification of molecular markers).
The work in ImmunAID is performed by Pr. Sonia Athina Karabina (SAK) and Dr. Irina Giurgea (IG) for the design and supervision of the genomic analysis (WP2), the study of the functionality of inflammasomes in SAID and the functional validation of the identified variations in new genes.
{tab 
}
CIRI, the Centre International de Recherche en Infectiologie (International Center for research in Infectiology)
is an INSERM institutelaboratory located in Lyon, France. The CIRI gathers 22 teams working in the field of immunology, virology and bacteriology. This institute has close connections with Lyon Hospital (Hospices Civils de Lyon), the CNRS, the University of Lyon and Ecole Normale Supérieure. Thomas Henry's team within CIRI is dedicated to the study of inflammasomes in SAID and bacterial infections, includes 12 and is connected to Lyon Hospital thanks to the presence of two associated clinicians. Thomas Henry team is involved in WP3 to characterize inflammasome function and dysfunction in primary cells for patients and healthy donors. In addition, thanks to its connection with the Lyon Hospital, he will contribute to promote the SAID patients’ recruitment along the course of this project.
{tab 
}
UNIVERSITY OF LEEDS (UNIVLEEDS)
United Kingdom
The University of Leeds (UNIVLEEDS) is acclaimed world-wide for the quality of its teaching and research and continues to be ranked within the top 100 universities in the QS world rankings. It is one of the largest universities in the UK with over 30,000 students (over 7,000 post graduate students) and approximately 6,450 staff of 99 different nationalities, attached to 560 different undergraduate and 300 postgraduate degree programs. Leeds is also a leading member of the UK’s prestigious research intensive Russell Group universities. In particular, it is currently coordinating 23 H2020 projects, and is a partner in a further 26 successful H2020 projects.
Experimental Rheumatology group studies the molecular mechanisms of responses to biologics and the unfolded protein response (UPR) in the pathogenesis of Rheumatoid Arthritis. In ImmunAID the group will be in charge of the study of inflammasome function by leading WP3
https://medicinehealth.leeds.ac.uk/medicine/staff/581/michael-mcdermott
{/tabs}
Inflammation resolution
Termination of inflammation is now considered as an active and highly orchestrated process of similar importance and complexity to the onset and progression of inflammation. It is called resolution and involves the induction of a network of specialized pro-resolving mediators (SPMs), whose role is to smoothly terminate all the inflammation processes.
Autoinflammatory diseases, being characterized by prolonged, persistent and/or recurrent inflammatory reactions, might involve impaired resolution.
The goal is to characterize SPM networks, biosynthetic pathways and functional effects in SAID patients and identify potential abnormalities in the resolution process.
{tab title="" color_inactive_handles="true" outline_content="false"}
{tab 
}
Ambiotis
France
Ambiotis is a privately-owned biotechnology company based on a business model of Contract Research Organization (CRO). Ambiotis is offering innovative research services and specialized in testing the anti-inflammatory effect of compounds on various models. The company is advancing the proofs-of-concept for compounds issued from health industry (pharma/biotech, agro food and cosmetic companies). Ambiotis is the first CRO worldwide specializing in the inflammatory process resolution. Resolution of inflammation is a natural answer characterized by the sequential synthesis of specialized lipid mediators (lipoxins, resolvins, protectins, maresins…) that allow the return to homeostasis and avoid chronic inflammation. There is thus a growing interest for the development of drugs that would be able to boost the pathways of resolution to fight chronicity, pain, infection and allow wound healing. In ImmunAID Ambiotis will be in charge of the evaluation of inflammation and resolution thanks to metabolipidomic and of the in vitro evaluation of inflammation and resolution pathways using human primary cells.
{tab 
}
IDRYMA IATROVIOLOGIKON EREUNON AKADEMIAS ATHINON (BRFAA)
Greece
Established in 2003, the Biomedical Research Foundation of the Academy of Athens (BRFAA) is already the largest biomedical research institution of Greece with 5 Research Centers, 400 research personnel (postdoctoral fellows, laboratory technicians and Ph.D. students) and 50 faculty members with a track record of scientific excellence coming from leading US and European Institutions
The Laboratory of Immunobiology of the centre for Translational and Clinical Research led by Dr Evangelos Andreakos has been established since 2006 and focuses on the study of the role of innate immunity in acute and chronic inflammation. Affiliated investigators to BRFAA from the University of Athens Medical School and the ‘Attikon’ and ‘Laikon’ University Hospitals (Prof. Boumpas, Prof. Tzioufas, and Prof. Sfikakis) give to BRFAA a strong translational direction.
In addition to patient recruitment the Laboratory of Immunology will study of the mechanisms of resolution of inflammation in SAID patients, unwinding of the molecular networks and pathways controlling SPM production and response.
http://www.bioacademy.gr/lab/andreakos
{/tabs}
Immune networks
For most autoinflammatory disorders, the stimuli that initiate and/or propagate the inflammatory and immune responses are not fully identified.
The objective is to first gain knowledge on individual inflammation factors through the profiling of soluble factors (e.g. cytokines, alarmins) and specific immune cells (e.g. NK cells, Tregs) and the characterisation of protein structures and modifications. The generated data will then be integrated into a network view, with a strong emphasis on mutual interactions, and cross-regulation.
Omics data from WP2 may further help to uncover novel players and signatures related to immune networks.
{tab title="" color_inactive_handles="true" outline_handles="false" outline_content="false"}
{tab 
}
APHP.6, GH Pitié-Salpetrière and Tenon, Department of Internal Medicine and clinical immunology
David Saadoun, B Fautrel, S Georgin-Lavialle
Internal Medicine and Clinical Immunology Department of GH la Pitié-Salpêtrière has a National and international recognized expertise in the care of adult patients suffering of auto-immune/inflammatory (AIS) rare diseases and is a leading member of the National Reference Center for Rare Systemic and Auto-Immune Diseases. Pr David Saadoun is recruiting patients for ImmunAID cohort and is a WP5 task leader on dosage of cytokine, chemokine, adipokine and mast cells mediators in SAIDs patients’ samples.
Hôpital Saint-Louis – Dermatology Department
Jean David Bouaziz
Dermatology Department, Saint Louis hospital, Paris, France is a large unit including inpatients and outpatients with inflammatory skin diseases (neutrophilic dermatosis and auto-immune disorders), infectious skin diseases and dermato-oncology. The skin research center, INSERMU976 in Saint Louis hospital, Paris, France has great area expertise in skin inflammatory diseases, T cell and B cell population.. Pr JD Bouaziz is involved in WP1 as one of the leader of the neutrophilic dermatosis part of the project.
Kremlin-Bicêtre Hospital - The Paediatric rheumatology department
Isabelle Kone Paut
The is the main university hospital in South of Paris area. The Paediatric rheumatology department
The paediatric rheumatology department of the University Hospital of Bicêtre deals with significant number of patients and families in all fields of paediatric inflammatory diseases. Of note it cares the widest population of paediatric patients with FMF, PFAPA, Behcet's disease, CRMO and CAPS in France. It is also a a EULAR center of excellence for rheumatology 2015-2020, a member of the ERN RITA, and the HCP has been designated autoinflammatory diseases representative within the steering committee of this ERN; the national reference center for rare autoinflammatory disorders: CEREMAIA ( http://www.ceremai.fr); and connected with two INSERM research units: INSERM U 1018; Centre de recherche en Epidémiologie et Santé des Population (CESP) and INSERM U1183 "Cellules souches, plasticité cellulaire, médecine régénératrice et immunothérapies"). Isabelle Koné-Paut is participating to the coordintation of ImmunAId cohort and will recruit patients.
{tab 
}
WESTFAELISCHE WILHELMSUNIVERSITAET MUENSTER (WWU)
Germany
With more than 44,500 students, the University of Münster is one of the largest universities in Germany and has developed a strong research profile in natural sciences, humanities, medicine, law and business administration. It targets top-level research in high-performance areas for support and combines this with promoting first-class junior research staff.
The Department of Paediatric Rheumatology and Immunology led by Prof. Dr. Dirk Foell, as a referal center for auto inflammatory diseases in Germany, is including patients and collecting biological samples of high quality in ImmunAID cohort. Pr D. FOell is also leading WP5 and his team is in charge of delineating Delineating potential cross-talk between neutrophils and neutrophil products with monocytes, macrophages and T cells.
https://www.uni-muenster.de/Cells-in-Motion/people/all/foell-d.php
{tab }
ERASMUS UNIVERSITAIR MEDISCH CENTRUM ROTTERDAM (Erasmus MC)
Netherlands
Erasmus University Medical Center Rotterdam is committed to a healthy population and excellence in healthcare through research and education (www.erasmusmc.nl). It is in the top ten of best medical institutes in Europe (QS World University Ranking 2016) and excels in various research fields, studying fundamental and clinical domains as well as public health and prevention with an annual research budget of around €140 million. In addition to scientific research, patient care and education are core tasks of Erasmus MC. It is the top referral center for a region of about five million inhabitants. Erasmus MC is also the largest medical school in the Netherlands.
{tab 
}
Katholieke universiteit leuven (ku leuven)
Belgium
KU Leuven is one of Europe’s highest-ranked and most renowned universities. It boasts a long tradition of pioneering research and high-quality education. As a leading research university and co-founder of the League of European Research Universities, KU Leuven accommodates all kinds of research, from fundamental to applied, from individual projects to participation in large-scale, prestigious international research consortia, such as the European Research Council and Horizon 2020
Laboratory of Immunobiology Carine Wouters and Patrick Matthys
The Laboratory of Immunobiology focuses its research on the pathogenic mechanisms that drive different autoimmune and autoinflammatory diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis, systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis, and macrophage activation syndrome and hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis. The work performed always aims to provide translational insights, by combining findings in relevant animal models with data obtained on patient samples, comparing both active and inactive disease episodes. Prof. Dr. Carine Wouters works in the University Hospital of Leuven and is responsible for the treatment and recruitment of paediatric SAID patients and sample collection (WP1). Prof.. Patrick Matthys is responsible for in-depth analysis of NK cells from SAID patients before and after treatment, in comparison with healthy controls.
Laboratory of Molecular Immunology /Department of Microbiology and Immunology Paul Proost
The Laboratory of Molecular Immunology (Department of Microbiology and Immunology, KU Leuven) is embedded in the Rega Institute, a multi-departmental institute in which medicinal chemistry, microbiological and immunological research groups are combined. It is led by Prof. Paul Proost and has a strong background in protein biochemistry including chemical synthesis of intact (modified) chemokines, purification and identification of chemokines and evaluation of chemokine-receptor and chemokine-glycosaminoglycan interactions. In addition, they have major research lines on the function of chemokines in acute and chronic inflammation, autoimmunity and cancer. In ImmunAID, they will evaluate the presence of chemokine modifying enzymes in patient samples and quantify post-translationally modified chemokines (discriminating between chemokine forms with different biological activities) by western blot or nano scale UPLC coupled to mass spectrometry (MS/MS).
{tab }
Translational Immunology Laboratory - VIB Center for Brain and Disease Research.
Adrian Liston
The mission of the VIB Center for Brain and Disease Research is to perform frontline research, addressing significant questions and key issues relevant to major human health challenges. We focus on basic molecular and cellular mechanisms and use the power of modern genetics and genomics as well as molecular, cellular and developmental biology. The center fosters and promotes excellence in research, with a strong trust in both the creativity of individual researchers and the benefit of synergistic interactions. The Liston’s team will do the Immune phenotyping of autoinflammatory ImmunAID cohort patients (flow cytometry and single cell sequencing) and will participate to the Genetic analysis
{tab 
}
Université de Genève (UNIGE)
Switzerland
Founded in 1559 by Jean Calvin, the University of Geneva (UNIGE) is Switzerland’s second largest university enjoying a strong international reputation, both for the quality of its research (it ranks among the top institutions among the League of European Research Universities) and the excellence of its education. This acclaim has been won in part due to its strong ties to many national and international Geneva-based organizations, such as the World Health Organization..
The Department of Internal Medicine of the University of Geneva includes different specialties. The activity of Prof. Gabay group focuses on the role of cytokines of the interleukin (IL)-1 family in the immune and inflammatory responses. In particular, the group studies are focusing on experimental models of arthritis and other inflammatory diseases.In ImmunAID it will be involved in the measurement of IL-1 and IL-18 in biological samples with access to a unique assay that measures the biologically active fraction of IL-18.
Additionally, Pr. Gabay entity includes a clinical setting with outpatient and inpatient units associated with a clinical laboratory and a basic science laboratory that will provide patients and biosample to ImmunAID cohort.
https://www.ige3.unige.ch/gabay.php
{/tabs}
Data analysis and integration
The large amount of biological data that will be generated throughout WP2 to WP5 will be managed centrally, further analysed, and integrated with the clinical datasets collected in WP1.
Both clinical and biological datasets will be exploited to identify clinically meaningful classes of SAID patients. Diagnostic classifications will be developed for their prognostic and therapeutic potential.
The latest methodologies in bioinformatics, statistical modelling, machine learning, and deep learning will be applied to the ImmunAID datasets. Supervised and unsupervised approaches, as well as knowledge-driven approaches, will be combined to optimize the classification approach, keeping a strong link to biological mechanisms and clinical impact.
{tab title="" color_inactive_handles="true" outline_content="false"}
{tab }
INSERM Unit U976 HIPI: "Human Immunology, Physiopathology and Immunotherapy
V. Soumelis ImmunAID coordinator
Dr Soumelis and his team will play an essential role in driving the project towards its final objectives. This is dictated in WP8. He will also critically contribute to the dissemination of the program and the results (WP7), and will be part of all project committees, overseeing issues such as access to bio bank clinical samples, ethics and integrity, as well as relationships with potential industrial partners. He would be the main contact communicating with European Commission project officers and responsible of delivering reports.
He is in charge of transcriptomics analysis by RNAseq in WP2 and of coordinating WP6 and ensures the smooth operations, development of efficient data management tools, and the use of state-of-the-art and innovative methodologies for diagnostic classification of complex data. He and his team have a strong expertise in integration of heterogeneous biological and clinical data in various disease settings, large scale data analysis, signal integration, and statistical modelling of complex/multidimensional datasets.
Soumelis and A. Hernandez
{tab 
}
INSTITUT CURIE
France
Recognized public interest foundation since 1921, Institut Curie has worked to fulfil its three missions since its founding by Marie Curie, namely research, care and the preservation and transfer of knowledge. This multi-disciplinary approach, part of the bylaws of the foundation, is the DNA of Institut Curie. The Bioinformatics platform of Institut Curie has four five missions: (1) data integration, (2) collaborative support to biologists or clinicians for bioinformatics and biostatistics data analysis, (3) delivering advices and training in biostatistics and bioinformatics, (4) support to high performance computing (5) coordination of bioinformatics activities within Institut Curie.
The bio-informatic team is developing the eCRF of the ImmunAID cohort and will be involved in WP6 for the “Clinical and biological data management”. This will include the sanity check of the data that are transmitted to the consortium in order to ensure their consistency, the integration of omics in a dedicated information system to allow the interoperability of the data and their sharing between the different partners of the consortium.
https://science.curie.fr/plateformes/bioinformatique/
{tab 
}
OWKIN France (Owkin)
France
Founded in 2016 by Thomas Clozel, M.D, specialized in haematology, and Gilles Wainrib, professor of artificial intelligence and mathematical biology, OWKIN develops innovative services and solutions to accelerate drug discovery and advance precision medicine. The increasing accumulation of data, combined with the recent revolution in machine learning, can help discovering new therapeutic targets, predict the effect of molecules and help doctors give the right treatment to the right person. At the heart of the medicine of the future, OWKIN counts among its clients and partners pharmaceutical companies, large cancer centers and academic research laboratories, in France and abroad. Owkin is in charge of the development of a semi-supervised clustering approach to discover a novel classification of AID using omics and imaging data, which is consistent with clinical and biological variables.
{tab 
}
PANEPISTIMIO IOANNINON (UOI)
Greece
The University of Ioannina ([http://www.uoi.gr/en]/) was founded in 1964 in Ioannina, Epirus, in the North-western part of Greece. Today, the University has 17 departments with over 500 faculty members, 13,500 undergraduate students and more than 3,000 graduate students (MSc and PhD). The University of Ioannina has established a quality management system that is in conformance with the International Management System Standard ISO 9001:2000, as well as the Greek Management Efficiency Standard, with a scope of “Project Management of Research and Development of Technological and Other Related Programs and Activities”.
The work in ImmunAID project will be undertaken by Prof. Fotiadis research unit, the Unit of Medical Technology & Intelligent Information Systems (MedLab). MedLab is a highly innovative and self-contained research unit strongly activated in the fields of Biomedical Engineering and development of Intelligent Information systems. MedLab’s research activities cover a variety of subjects and they are classified into the following domains: Biomedical Research, Automated Diagnosis - Processing and analysis of biomedical signals (e.g. ECG, EMG) and images (e.g. MRI, ultrasound), Bio magnetism and Biomaterials, Bioinformatics, Networks, Medical Informatics, Data mining, Applications of predictive data mining methodologies, especially in clinical domain. In ImmunAID MedLab’s will design decision-making algorithms, to integrate the use of novel classification in the form of simple algorithms/decision trees.
{tab }
ERASMUS UNIVERSITAIR MEDISCH CENTRUM ROTTERDAM (Erasmus MC)
Netherlands
Erasmus University Medical Center Rotterdam is committed to a healthy population and excellence in healthcare through research and education (www.erasmusmc.nl). It is in the top ten of best medical institutes in Europe (QS World University Ranking 2016) and excels in various research fields, studying fundamental and clinical domains as well as public health and prevention with an annual research budget of around €140 million. In addition to scientific research, patient care and education are core tasks of Erasmus MC. It is the top referral center for a region of about five million inhabitants. Erasmus MC is also the largest medical school in the Netherlands.
{tab 
}
Copenhagen University (UPH)
Denmark
Københavns Universitet (www.ku.dk) is the largest university in Scandinavia and ranked among the top 50 universities in the world. With over 40,000 students and more than 9,000 employees, the University of Copenhagen is one of the largest institutions of research and education in the Nordic countries.
The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Protein Research (CPR) is located at the University Of Copenhagen Medical School. It is organized into four major programs, where the Programme for Disease Systems Biology works as a multi-disciplinary basic research group within bioinformatics and systems biology with particular focus on large data sets of relevance to human health. The CPR has a highly multidisciplinary profile (molecular biologists, biochemists, medical doctors, physicists and computer scientists). The center conducts basic research and has been financed by a grant from the Novo Nordisk Foundation, with contributions from the university.
UCPH-CPR has general expertise in molecular level systems biology and healthcare data integration. It will be involved in WP6 in the analysis and integration of health data, in particular the steps in the WP6 regarding bioinformatics and data analysis. This will involve broad analysis of biomarkers, both omics-markers as well as more directed measurements, in an integrated fashion. To do so, machine-learning methods, statistical analyses and meta-tools will be developed and implemented.
https://www.cpr.ku.dk/research/disease-systems-biology/brunak/
{/tabs}
Dissemination and exploitation
What is done with the data and the results generated by the project will be key to making an impact on SAID science and patients’ life. The objective is to turn research results into reliable and marketable diagnostic tools, usable and affordable for physicians.
For that purpose, intellectual property protection will be sought where necessary to enable further exploitation. Advice from expert stakeholders will also be sought to ensure that both regulatory and industrial process issues are being properly considered. Broad dissemination of scientific results will be encouraged to stimulate the field of autoinflammatory science and ensure sustainability of the project’s achievements.
Management and communication
Rigorous management procedures will be setup to help steer project advances, anticipate risks and ensure the achievement of the project’s objectives. Special attention will be given to integrate the latest results from the broad scientific community in adapting the project’s scientific strategy.
Effective communication will also be organised to reach out to a broad panel of stakeholders spanning from the research community, patients, and patient associations to guideline- and policy-forming bodies.
