In disaster situations, emergency teams can be hampered by confusion and a lack of communication. To address this, EU-funded researchers have developed new drone-based technology that provides situational awareness in real time. This will give first responders valuable information that can save lives.
A rare infectious disease that can cause permanent blindness may soon have an approved treatment for the first time. A formulation of the molecule polihexanide, optimised by the EU-funded ODAK project, has been shown to cure 87 % of patients. The drug will soon be available to patients across Europe through an early access programme.
A series of crises has pushed apart the EU and its citizens. Rather than becoming disillusioned, citizens have increasingly high expectations for the EU and are looking for ways to become more involved. The EU-funded RECONNECT project has developed policy proposals, tools and solutions that can help improve the relationship between the EU and those it represents.
The effectiveness of photodynamic therapy is limited by the lack of oxygen in solid cancers. Now, EU-funded researchers have developed drug delivery nano-carriers to bring oxygen to the tumour site. This strategy could improve the effectiveness of this photodynamic therapy and help to save the lives of citizens affected by cancer.
Cancer and neglected tropical diseases impact millions of people every year. By identifying compounds that specifically target affected cells, EU-funded researchers have opened the door to potential new treatments. These medicines could save lives and benefit citizens both in Europe and around the world.
While researchers were busy developing a handheld device to rapidly detect biomarkers to guide the therapy in lung cancer, the pandemic struck. Realising their device could be adapted to test for coronavirus, researchers refocused their work. The result is the market’s smallest portable PCR device.
Catalytic reactions are crucial for energy conversion and the production of chemicals, but their operation is limited by slow heat transfer. The EU-funded INTENT project developed new reactor designs with improved potential for heat transfer. The research and results will help in the transition of Europe’s energy sector away from fossil fuels.
When internet routers fail, the consequences are wide-ranging. The EU-funded SafeNet project has released the first publicly available open-source tool to detect and fix router bugs. This together with commercial software to optimise data centre networks are helping to protect the communications infrastructure European citizens rely on.
Most stars today can be found in giant, dead ellipticals which have long been considered by scientists the end of an evolutionary line for galaxies. How these galaxies formed and died so quickly has been an open question. The ConTExt project provides an explanation that is already paving the way to a new generation of astronomical studies.
Cancer is the second leading cause of mortality in EU countries after cardiovascular diseases. The EU-funded uPET project developed a new scanning technique to locate and identify those tumours which present the greatest risk. The technique has been successfully tested on 400 patients and will support more targeted therapies.
