Currently there are no therapy options available for those suffering acute radiation sickness. But hope is on the horizon. A combination of carbon and pectin developed by the EU-funded NanoMed project can absorb damaging molecules generated in the body after exposure to radiation. It’s the first step towards a simple pill that can be given to those exposed to high levels of radiation.
There is an acute need for implantable devices that can report prompt and accurate data about the body’s chemistry. The EU-funded ImplantSens project developed long-term implantable biosensors for glucose monitoring, to improve the management of diabetes. The project also helped train the next generation of scientists to carry on this work.
The potential for mRNA goes well beyond the COVID-19 vaccine. With the support of the EU-funded MOSaIC project, one research centre in Poland is conducting cutting-edge research in the field, paving the way for new treatments against diseases such as cancer, Alzheimer’s and genetic conditions.
Changes to the sugars attached to proteins have been linked with a range of human diseases, but the tools needed to detect this phenomenon have been lacking. The EU-funded GLYCOSURF project developed a new test that can detect these subtle alterations. The technique provides a robust and reliable way to provide early diagnoses.
Identifying the specific genetic mutations that cause cancer has always been a challenge. The EU-funded NONCODRIVERS project offers a solution with a pioneering approach that applies machine learning based modelling to tumour data. This could lead to more personalised therapies that save the lives of thousands of citizens every year.
Materials used in medical implants such as pacemakers and insulin pumps can be hazardous to the body. The EU-funded BISON project seeks an alternative in self-assembling peptide building blocks. These biological electronics offer citizens safer implants that could be powered by the body itself.
Patients who've gone through chemotherapy know that as effective as it may be, it also causes a lot of damage to otherwise healthy cells. The EU-funded NANOCARGO project has pushed a solution forward for breast cancer that would avoid such damage. This breakthrough could benefit the many thousands upon thousands of women in Europe who undergo treatment for breast cancer every year.
Technology developed in an EU-funded project for high-energy physics experiments also has the potential to greatly enhance the sensitivity of PET scanners for medical imaging.
EU-funded researchers have developed an innovative and 'smart' prototype contrast mechanism for use in medical imaging that could provide doctors with important new insights to help diagnose injury and disease.
EU-funded researchers have developed an ultrasensitive test to rapidly, accurately and cost-effectively diagnose disease, underpinned by innovative biosensing technology that could help combat the COVID-19 pandemic, HIV and cancer.
