The project will bring together 21 institutions from 11 countries with a budget of €1.3 million to advance the study of extracellular vesicles (EVs)
EVs, small particles that act as messengers between cells, have the potential to transform early diagnosis and targeted treatments for diseases such as cancer and cardiovascular conditions.
Dublin, 7 November 2024 – The EVEREST project, bringing together 21 leading institutions from 11 countries, is set to push the frontiers of biomedical research by exploring the transformative potential of extracellular vesicles (EVs). EVs are small particles that act as messengers between cells which could transform early diagnosis and targeted treatments for diseases such as cancer and cardiovascular conditions. The project, funded through the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) programme under Horizon Europe GA101183034, has a budget of €1,311,000 and will run for 48 months, starting in January 2025.
Extracellular vesicles are released by cells and carry proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids, making them key vehicles for cell-to-cell communication. EVEREST will focus on standardising methods for isolating and characterising these vesicles, facilitating their use in non-invasive diagnostics and personalised therapies to improve the precision and effectiveness of treatments for complex diseases.
The EVEREST consortium unites top academic and non-academic partners across Europe and beyond. Academic members include University College Dublin (Ireland), Trinity College Dublin (Ireland), University of Vigo (Spain), Universidade Nova de Lisboa (Portugal), Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (Luxembourg), Justus-Liebig University Giessen (Germany), South East Technological University (Ireland), Linköping University (Sweden), Comenius University Bratislava (Slovakia), Queen’s University Belfast (UK), State Research Institute Centre for Innovative Medicine (Lithuania), and Fundación Progreso y Salud GENYO (Spain). Non-academic partners include SiriusXT (Ireland), Bioreperia (Sweden), FOx BIOSYSTEMS (Belgium), Pharmahungary (Hungary), Acousort AB (Sweden), Mursla (UK), Xenopat (Spain), De Rotos y Descosidos (Spain), and Vesiculab Ltd (UK). This multidisciplinary and cross-sector approach enables the project to cover everything from basic research to commercial application, maximising the impact of scientific advances on clinical and societal outcomes.
FOx BIOSYSTEMS endorses this interdisciplinary collaboration with its WHITE FOx real-time sensing platform providing integrated quantification and EV isolation to accelerate biomarker discovery and analysis. Filip Delport, CTO at FOx BIOSYSTEMS says: “As part of this leading-edge consortium, we look forward to help unlock the biomarker potential of EVs and accelerate the development of diagnostic and therapeutic applications for better patient treatment and outcome.”
FOx BIOSYSTEMS provides fluidics-free biomolecular analysis systems that can reliably measure real-time kinetics of molecule interactions, from proteins to whole cells, in crude samples including blood without sample purification. FOx BIOSYSTEMS is a company with a mission to revolutionize the life sciences and biopharmaceutical research market, in particular in the cell and gene market, by enabling quantified isolation.
EVEREST consortium benefits from the prestigious Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Staff Exchange programme, which provides unique funding opportunities for international, interdisciplinary collaboration. The programme fosters knowledge exchange and innovation, driving the development of solutions that can address global challenges in healthcare.
For more information about the EVEREST consortium, please visit the EU Cordis website.