Cognitive decline is emerging as one of the greatest public health challenges of the elderly; nearly 50% of adults over 85 are afflicted by Alzheimer’s disease, the most common type of dementia. It is estimated that over 35 million people world-wide have dementia, with 4.6 million new cases each year - a new case every 7 seconds. Dementia, treatments for which can currently only delay disease progression, costs the UK economy £23 billion per year and is therefore a significant challenge not only in terms of cost but also in terms of cause, cure and care.
The multidisciplinary consortium of 14 academic and industrial internationally-renowned research teams from Belgium, Estonia, France, Germany, Israel, United Kingdom and Switzerland, are combining integrated systems biology and comparative genomics approaches to investigate the complex process of ageing. It is hoped that this project will identify and validate new molecular targets and biomarkers associated with late-onset Alzheimer Disease.
Dr Nicolas Le Novère, a Group Leader in Computational Biology at The Babraham Institute who will also co-ordinate research with collaborators at EMBL-EBI, explained, “Neurodegenerative pathologies, such as Alzheimer's disease, affect complex molecular and cellular machineries in a multimodal manner. In order to understand the mechanisms leading to these age-related dysfunctions, and propose new ways of fighting the resulting diseases, a systems approach is required.”
“Integrating genomics and functional genomics experimental results obtained by the consortium with information available in the biomedical literature, our team at the Babraham Institute will reconstruct the biochemical pathways involved in the development of Alzheimer's disease. We will then develop mathematical models to obtain a dynamic and mechanistic view of the disease development and possible intervention strategies.”
Genome-Wide Association Studies (GWAS) carried out in recent years have been instrumental in identifying genes that mediate genetic risk associated with Late-Onset Alzheimer Diseases (LOAD). These approaches based on the genetic comparison of large cohorts of patients and healthy aged persons, have involved three academic partners (Inserm U894; Institut Pasteur Lille, University of Antwerpen), and been largely funded by Europe. The AgedBrainSYSBIO project will take advantage of large-scale ageing databases, information from Drosophila and rodent models of disease, together with considerable know-how and technologies from consortium partners to generate results that may more readily be translated into preclinical studies.
INSERM, the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research, is the coordinating partner of the project. Michel Simonneau, MD PhD, Professor at Ecole Normale Supérieure de Cachan, who co-ordinates this project said, “This ambitious project integrates numerous European initiatives as well as national research programmes, which address the scientific and societal challenge of neurodegenerative diseases. This project receives the decisive input of four small to medium size enterprises (SMEs) allowing us to get candidate solutions for curing and preventing common age-related diseases. The links between academia and industry is the driving force of this work programme and in the end will hopefully benefit to all of us.”
Dr Simon Ridley, Head of Research at Alzheimer’s Research UK, the UK’s leading dementia research charity, welcomed the news: “It’s always good to see new funding for research into dementia, and we’re pleased to see researchers across Europe joining forces to share resources and knowledge in this way. Collaboration is vital for research to make progress, and by combining different approaches this project should help advance our understanding of complex diseases like Alzheimer’s – the first step on the road to much-needed new treatments. Dementia is one of the greatest medical challenges we face today and we urgently need ways to tackle the diseases that cause it, but this can only be made a reality through investment in high quality research.”
The Babraham team will be working closely with two SMEs, Quretec (Estonia) - a key partner for data management solutions and bioinformatics data analyses and Hybrigenics (France) - a world leader in comparative proteomics and protein-protein interaction analyses. It will collaborate with the Heinrich Hein University of Düsseldorf that will use induced pluripotent stem-cells from patients with Alzheimer's disease to generate in vitro models of the human ageing disease, as a platform to test predicted pathway therapies.
Dr Claire Cockcroft, Babraham’s Knowledge Exchange Manager said, “This consortium of world-leading systems biologists will play a vital role in driving forward our understanding of the complex relationship between ageing and the onset of age-related conditions like Alzheimer’s disease. Interaction between academic and industrial partners will be instrumental in generating the models from which predictions and new drug targets may be identified, as well as the validation of therapeutic strategies to address a significant global healthcare challenge.”
The Babraham Institute, which receives strategic funding from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), is a world-leading centre for studying the basic biology of signalling processes inside and between cells and bioscience underpinning health, supporting BBSRC’s mission to drive advances in fundamental bioscience for better health and improved quality of life.
The Babraham Institute, which receives strategic funding (£22.4M in 2010-11) from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), undertakes international quality life sciences research to generate new knowledge of biological mechanisms underpinning ageing, development and the maintenance of health. The Institute’s research provides greater understanding of the biological events that underlie the normal functions of cells and the implication of failure or abnormalities in these processes. Research focuses on signalling and genome regulation, particularly the interplay between the two and how epigenetic signals can influence important physiological adaptations during the lifespan of an organism. By determining how the body reacts to dietary and environmental stimuli and manages microbial and viral interactions, we aim to improve wellbeing and healthier ageing. (www.babraham.ac.uk)
BBSRC invests in world-class bioscience research and training on behalf of the UK public. Our aim is to further scientific knowledge, to promote economic growth, wealth and job creation and to improve quality of life in the UK and beyond. Funded by the UK Government, and with an annual budget of around £445M, we support research and training in universities and strategically funded institutes. BBSRC research and the people we fund are helping society to meet major challenges, including food security, green energy and healthier, longer lives. Our investments underpin important UK economic sectors, such as farming, food, industrial biotechnology and pharmaceuticals.
For more information about BBSRC, our science and our impact see: http://www.bbsrc.ac.uk
For more information about BBSRC strategically funded institutes see: http://www.bbsrc.ac.uk/institutes
AgedBrainSYSBIO is funded by the European Commission within its FP7 Cooperation Programme, Grant Agreement number HEALTH-F2-2012-305299. The AgedBrainSYSBIO consortium is coordinated by the French National Institute for health and medical research (Inserm, Prof. Michel Simonneau) and brings together scientists with internationally recognized expertise in systems biology of the synapse and four small to medium size enterprises (SMEs) with a leading role in the project. The SME partners will assure translation of project results to clinical application. www.agedbrainsysbio.eu
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CONTACT:
Dr Claire Cockcroft
Head, External Relations
Email: claire.cockcroft@babraham.ac.uk
Tel: +44 (0)1223 496260
Mobile: +44 (0)7786 335978
Dr Nicolas Le Novere
Email: Nicolas.lenovere@babraham.ac.uk
Tel: +44 1223 496433
twitter:@lenovere
The Babraham Institute
Babraham Research Campus
Cambridge CB22 3AT
http://www.babraham.ac.uk
AgedBrainSYSBIO
Coordinator: Pr. Michel Simonneau, Inserm, Email: michel.simonneau@inserm.fr
Senior Project Manager: Dr Christiane Dascher-Nadel
Email: Christiane.dascher-nadel@inserm-transfert.fr
Tel: +33 4 91 82 70 13
http://www.agedbrainsysbio.eu
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