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COST Action Euro-FBP: A European Network for Foodborne Parasites

Project leader: Dr. Lucy Robertson

Project collaborators: Dr. Olgica Đurković-Đaković, Dr. Branko Bobić

Project number: FA1408

Duration of the project: 2014-2019.

Leading institution: Norwegian University of Life Sciences

Description of the project:

The main objective of EURO-FBP is to decrease the impact on human health from foodborne parasites (FBP), through establishing a risk-based control programme for FBP containing robust and appropriate protective strategies. EURO-FBP will use an interdisciplinary, One Health perspective to assimilate information, coordinate research and harmonize diagnostics, surveillance, analytical methods, potential interventions and mapping of global trends regarding FBP. The Action will determine those FBP of greatest regional importance, pinpoint knowledge gaps, and focus resources strategically for control of FBP. FBP include protozoa, nematodes, cestodes and trematodes. Although a significant public health issue, FBP have been neglected compared with other foodborne pathogens such as viruses or bacteria. Furthermore, globalisation and changes in climate, agricultural practices, and human behaviourand lifestyles all contribute to emergence of FBP in new settings, with new hosts and transmission routes. Previously associated with specific regions, FBP are now spreading. FBP research is fragmented and groups often focus on a single genera or group of parasites. Hence COST is ideal for EURO-FBP, enabling collaboration among scientists that rarely interact. The agenda will focus on how to address FBP, optimising efforts and resources in order to control FBP in Europe – and globally.

Тип пројекта:

Cost

Reinvention of the Diagnostic Algorithm and Therapeutic Options for Reactivated Toxoplasmosis (ToxoReTREAT)

Project leader: Dr. Tijana Štajner

Project collaborators: Dr. Jelena Srbljanović, Dr. Branko Bobić, Dr. Vladimir Dobričić, Dr. Anđelija Ilić, Dr. Dragana Vujić, Đorđe Zlatković, Olivera Lijeskić, Jelena Trajković

Project number: 7328

Duration of the project: 2023-2026.

Leading institution: Institute for Medical Research, University of Belgrade

Collaborating institutions: Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Belgrade, Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, Institute of Physics Belgrade, University of Belgrade

Description of the project:

Toxoplasma gondii, the causative agent of toxoplasmosis, is a parasitic protozoan that infects almost a third of the global population. In cases of prolonged immunosuppression, reactivation of the infection occurs in chronically infected patients , which can be life-threatening. Reactivated toxoplasmosis (RT) is a particularly devastating complication in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell recipients, who represent the fastest growing population of immunosuppressed patients in Europe. Despite this, there are still no guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of RT. Moreover, the limited therapeutic options for RT are not only inadequate for allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell recipients due to pronounced myelotoxicity, but also ineffective because they only act on circulating parasites.

The main goal of the ToxoReTREAT project is to solve the problem of RT in the population of recipients of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cells using a multidisciplinary approach (medicine, pharmaceutical analysis, chemical industry); improve efficiency and reduce side effects; and the formulation of national guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of RT. Namely, molecular monitoring of RT, isolation and characterization of T. gondii strains, identification of risk factors and evaluation of the effectiveness of standard treatment options will result in the formulation of National Guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of toxoplasmosis in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell recipients. The activity of newly synthesized and modified derivatives of acridine and acridone will be investigated both in vitro and in vivo experimental models of RT. T. gondii strains will be isolated from patients diagnosed with RT. Our research will identify at least one RT drug candidate with reduced toxicity and increased overall efficacy against T. gondii tachyzoites and bradyzoites, compared to standard therapy. We expect that the results of our project will arouse the interest of the pharmaceutical industry to engage in the development of new drugs for the treatment of toxoplasmosis. The sustainable transfer of knowledge gained through chemotherapy experiments will be contributed by the application of the freely available ImageJ software for the improvement of the automated assessment of the results of the experiments.

Тип пројекта:

National Projects

Toxoplasmosis in HSC Transplant Recipients: How to Improve Prevention at a Reasonable Cost?

Project leader: Dr. Olgica Đurković-Đaković (Serbia), Prof. Florence Robert-Gangneux (France)

Project collaborators: Dr. Tijana Štajner, Dr. Jelena Srbljanović, Dr. Neda Bauman, Dr. Aleksandra Uzelac

Project number:

Duration of the project: January 2018-December 2019.

Leading institution:

Description of the project:

Diagnosis and monitoring of reactivated toxoplasmosis (RT) in HSCT recipients was introduced into the transplantation practice in Serbia in 2013 (cooperation of the Mother and Child Health Care Institute and the NRL for toxoplasmosis). Despite its many benefits, clinical experience with this approach to control T. gondii infection in HSCT patients has also revealed gaps including diagnostic challenges pertinent for decision on treatment, and lack of consensus on the frequency and duration of blood sample monitoring by qPCR after HSCT, respective of clinical setting and administration of prophylaxis. Thus, the goal of the proposed project is to, after standardization and harmonization of the qPCR protocol in both partner laboratories, identify subgroups of patients (according to the clinical setting, type of prophylaxis etc.) at the highest risk of RT, that would benefit the most from systematic PCR monitoring, with the final outcome to devise a cost-effective alternative for the prevention of RT after HSCT.

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International Projects

Horizon Framework for Clinical Trial Participants’ Data Reutilization for a Fully Transparent and Ethical Ecosystem

Project leader: Dr. Luca Pani

Project collaborators: Dr. Olgica Đurković-Đaković, Dr. Ivana Klun

Project number: 101034366

Duration of the project: January 2022-December 2025.

Leading institution: Università degli Studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia (UNIMORE), Italy

Description of the project:

FACILITATE is a project built on a patient-centred, data-driven, technological platform where dynamic consent allows the returning of clinical trial data to study participants within a GDPR compliant and approved ethical framework. FACILITATE starts off by providing clear rules in a trusted ethical, legal and regulatory ecosystem before engaging patients as data generators. This avoids the current situation where clinical data are siloed in separate repositories without any possibility to be used beyond their original single-sided purpose. FACILITATE will provide the technological solutions to comply with GDPR in medical research by building on the empowered stakeholders’ willingness to share and re-use their data. The FACILITATE Consortium was constituted by drawing from a broad range of capacities to tackle the ambitious challenges related to future clinical trials, such as preventive, long-term and real-world evidence trials. The Consortium takes an innovative approach to data return to study participants by asking them what they need to be implemented to feel in a trusted ecosystem. This requires all Consortium participants to leverage their existing networks to bring together stakeholders at all levels in the decision-making chain, including patients, healthcare professionals, software designers, clinical trials repositories processors and controllers, ethicists, lawyers and other active regulators. Having obtained dynamic consent on the data portability, FACILITATE will re-use and cross-reference them with those contained in other repositories including RWE data captured across multiple settings and devices. FACILITATE will last 4 years and will participate in the extended Pilot on Research Data of Horizon 2020. Its strategy represents a unique and innovative opportunity for medicines drug development and regulation to better understand the clinics of diseases, and to evaluate the effectiveness of products in the healthcare system.

Тип пројекта:

International Projects

Relationship Between Seroprevalence in Major Livestock Species and the Presence of Toxoplasma gondii in Meat

Project leader: Dr. Joke van der Giessen

Project collaborators: Dr. Olgica Djurković-Djaković, Dr. Ivana Klun, Dr. Aleksandra Nikolić, Dr. Branko Bobić, Dr. Aleksandra Uzelac, Dr. Irena Rajnpreht

Project number: GP/EFSA/BIOHAZ/2013/01

Duration of the project: November 2013-November 2015.

Leading institution: National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), The Netherlands

Description of the project:

The overall goal of project was to gain information and knowledge on the presence (and viability) of T. gondii cysts in meat and other edible tissues in main meat‐producing animals, and its relationship with T. gondii seroprevalence in animals by carrying out an extensive literature search and review of available data on the subject, as well as performing experimental studies on T. gondii in meat‐producing livestock species in the EU in order to assess the relationship between indirect detection methods (antibody detection), and direct detection methods of infective cysts in meat and other edible tissues (by bio‐assay).

Тип пројекта:

International Projects

Goat–Parasite Interactions: From Knowledge to Control

Project leader: Dr. Smaragda Sotiraki

Project collaborators: Dr. Olgica Đurković-Đaković (member of the management committee of the action), Dr. Ivana Klun, Dr. Tijana Štajner, Dr. Vitomir Djokić

Project number: FA0805

Duration of the project: April 2009-January 2014.

Leading institution: NAGREF Veterinary Research Institute, NAGREF Campus, Thermi 57001, Thessaloniki, Greece

Description of the project:

The main objective of the Action was to advance our knowledge on various aspects of goats’ parasitology and health management towards a better understanding of the different components explaining the specificities of goat-parasite interactions as well as to develop sustainable strategies to control parasitic diseases in goats.

Тип пројекта:

Cost

Control of Infections by Apicomplexan Pathogens: From Novel Drug Targets to Prediction

Project leader: Dr. Olgica Đurkovi-Đaković

Project collaborators: Dr. Aleksandra Nikolić, Dr. Branko Bobić, Dr. Tijana Štajner, Dr. Ivana Klun, Dr. Jelena Srbljanović, Dr. Vitomir Đokić, Dr. Vladimir Ivović, Dr. Marija Vujanić, Dr. Ksenija Slavić, Dr. Irena Rajnpreht, Dr. Aleksandra Uzelac, Vladimir Ćirković, Milena Stopić, Dr. Neda Bauman, Olivera Lijeskić

Project number: III 41019

Duration of the project: 2011-2019.

Leading institution:  Institute for Medical Research, University of Belgrade

Collaborating institutions: Institute of Chemistry, Technology and Metallurgy, University of Belgrade, Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, Faculty of Medicine, University of Novi Sad, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Belgrade, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Belgrade

Description of the project:

The aim of this multidisciplinary project, which integrates basic and applied research on infections caused by leading Apicomplexa pathogens, is to improve the control of toxoplasmosis and malaria by improving therapeutic options and developing strategies for the prevention of infection, which will contribute to the improvement of control both at the clinical level and at the level of public health. By mobilizing a critical mass of human resources (17 PhDs, including two foreign scientists who are leading in their fields of expertise, and 7 PhD students) and material resources (8 academic institutions, with which significant equipment was acquired for the project mainly in the last few years), the project will carry out a significant volume of research, the expected results of which are numerous and diverse and include the range from academic (scientific papers and doctoral theses), results directly applicable in the clinic as well as in the field of public health, to the potential for the development of new drugs. The scientific importance of the planned results lies in the contribution to the knowledge of the pathogenesis of malaria and toxoplasmosis. Basic research on the metabolic processes and transport molecules involved in these infections contributes to the understanding of the complex relationship established between the parasite and the host, and indicates potential sites of action of future drugs. The development of new transgenic lines as well as their characterization will increase the arsenal of tools available for the identification of further therapeutics. The synthesis of new active substances and the eventual identification of those with activity against P. falciparum and T. gondii will represent in itself a contribution to the repertoire of chemotherapeutics, with enormous development potential.

Applied research has immediate clinical significance. The introduction of new diagnostic methods, such as molecular diagnostics of malaria, will represent a contribution to the clinical care of these patients in Serbia. Also, in the same sense, knowledge of the genetic variability of T. gondii and P. falciparum strains that are isolated in Serbia will be useful because it will contribute to treatment with a more adequate choice of drugs, while it will also have a wider significance because they contribute to knowledge of the molecular map of these organisms at the level of the region, Europe and the world. At the end, based on the knowledge of the epidemiological parameters of toxoplasmosis in Serbia, including local risk factors, and insight into the incidence of congenital toxoplasmosis in Serbia, as a result of the project, a strategy of the national prevention program as well as a Good Practice Guide for the clinical management of toxoplasmosis will be developed. The obtained epizootiological data will indicate ways to reduce animal reservoirs of toxoplasmosis. In addition to the aforementioned, the expected results of the project include seven planned doctoral dissertations, the number of which indicates the size of the scope of the research, as well as the role that the applicant and the entire research team of the project play in the education of young researchers.

Тип пројекта:

National Projects