SARD

The main aim of NEURONET is to set up an efficient platform to boost synergy and collaboration across the IMI projects of the Neurodegenerative Disorders (ND) portfolio, assisting in identifying gaps, multiplying its impact, enhancing its visibility and facilitating dovetailing with related initiatives in Europe and worldwide. This will be achieved through the following specific objectives: 1) creation of an overall platform for efficient collaboration, communication and operational synergies among present and future IMI ND projects; 2) designing systems to map and analyse information regarding actions, initiatives and partnerships, assessing impact of the individual projects, remaining gaps and global value of the programme for stakeholders; 3) supporting the management of the programme (timelines, dependencies, synergies and key results across projects); 4) proactively detecting needs, opportunities and transferable best practices of projects and to connect them; 5) providing support to the projects by organising tools, services, expert advice and guidelines/recommendations on common issues; 6) promoting enhancement and coordination of communication across the IMI neurodegeneration projects, increasing programme visibility, outreaching to key stakeholders and establishing relationships with initiatives in the field; and 7) preparing and securing the long-term sustainability of NEURONET itself. Achievement of these objectives will necessarily rely on buy-in from existing and future projects in the IMI ND portfolio, and effective connections with other programmes and initiatives in Europe and beyond, including stakeholder representation. For this, the Consortium has been constituted by very active partners in a variety of IMI ND projects and related initiatives with specialists in areas like complex/project management, data sharing & re-use, drug development, patient engagement, communication, sustainability and regulatory/HTA interactions.

The incidence of Cardiovascular Disease (CD) claims worldwide 17.1 million lives a year, with an estimated 31% of all deaths globally and a EU cost of 139 billion euros. Up to 40% of all deaths occur among the elderly. In spite of all medical efforts, the 5-year mortality was reduced significantly less than that of malignant diseases. This highlights the urgent need to overcome the difficulties associated with present pharmacological therapies (i.e. drug instability, and unspecific targeting) by developing new ground-breaking therapeutic strategies that go far beyond any current regimens. New approaches for safe, efficient, and heart-specific delivery of therapeutics are strongly required. CUPIDO is envisioned to meet these critical needs by providing an unconventional and effective strategy based on nanoparticle-assisted delivery of clinically available and novel therapeutics to the diseased heart. In particular, CUPIDO will develop innovative bioinspired hybrid nanoparticles formulated as biologicals delivery, which are i) biocompatible and biodegradable, ii) designed for crossing biological barriers, and iii) guidable to the heart. A combination of multidisciplinary manufacturing and validation approaches will be employed, bringing the envisioned product beyond the currently available clinical and day-to-day management of CD individuals. Scale-up production, and respect of medical regulatory requirements will allow CUPIDO to deliver a final product for future late pre-clinical and clinical studies. Altogether, CUPIDO will foster the translation of nanomedical applications toward the cardiac field, which although still in its start, offers great potential to overcome the limitations associated to the currently pharmacological treatments.