News
The entire GABO:mi team is very pleased of the start of our new projects, which we have successfully applied for with our partners at the EC:
HydroZONES - our new research project in the programme nanotechnologies (NMP) - started on the 1 January 2013. Apart from the University Hospital of Würzburg with Prof. Jürgen Groll as coordinator, the network includes research institutions and companies from Heidelberg, Dresden, Aachen, Munich, Oxford, Utrecht, Groningen, Pamplona and the Portuguese city of Leiria. Even an Australian team is involved. The EU is going to fund the work of the researchers with 9.75 million Euros over the coming five years. Healing cartilage defects: This is the objective of the international research network HydroZONES: Bioactivated hierarchical hydrogels as zonal implants for articular cartilage regeneration. Implants that are structured like natural tissue are to provide durable repair of defects in the joint.
GABO:mi has been already successfully supporting Professor Groll in the application phase und will accompany the project throughout the whole project duration with professional project management.
GABO:mi manages its 4 IMI JU project: The European Lead Factory, the largest pan-European drug discovery platform. The 5-year project is coordinated by Bayer HealthCare (Germany). Its funding volume amounts to 196 million Euros. In this project an unprecedented collaboration between industry and academia should pave the way to easily translate findings into treatments for patients and should be the foundation for growth in drug development in Europe.

On 1 December 2012 SysmedIBD (Systems medicine of chronic Inflammatory Bowel Disease), a 5-year-project with 12 million Euros EC funding, started its work. Coordinated by Prof. Werner Müller (University of Manchester) the consortium of 12 academic and SME partners focuses on innovative research approaches to chronic inflammatory bowel diseases.

An international consortium of scientists coordinated by Prof. Graham Thornicroft of the Institute of Psychiatry of King’s College London has launched the EMERALD global mental health project to improve mental health systems in low- and middle-income countries. The objectives of the EMERALD Project are to establish an adequate, fair and sustainable resourcing, integrated provision of physical and mental health and improved coverage of care. EMERALD brings together collaborators from Ethiopia, India, Nepal, Nigeria, South Africa and Uganda.
The project startet on 1 November 2012 and is funded by FP7 for the coming 5 years. GABO:mi has supported Emerald from the proposal stage on and will support and manage the research of the international during the project period.

On rank 4 (rank 14 last year) GABO:mi is the best enterprise in Germany belonging to TOP 25 SMEs (Small and Medium Enterprises) in Europe. This information is part of the latest FP7 Monitoring Report of the European Commission, published in August 2012.

Coordinated by Dr. Birgit Köhler, Charité Berlin, the project DSD-Life started on 1 October 2012. The project is funded by FP7 with a lifecycle of 4 years. The project consortium consists of experienced and well-known scientists in the areas of endocrinology, psychology and ethics. Uniting 16 international project partners the project aims for sustainable improvement of clinical and medical care for patients with disorder in sex development (DSD) on European level.
Coordinated by Prof. Franz Schaefer from the Universitätsklinikum Heidelberg, Germany, this FP7 funded 5-year project started its work on 1 October 2012.
EURenOmics unites 19 academic and 8 SME partners from 10 European countries and the US in an international consortium of scientific excellence, bringing together leading clinical, genetic and translational researcher in an unprecedented clinical research network in the field of rare kidney disease.
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As the highest ranking proposal of its call, the project was awarded 12 million Euros to study the underlying causes and molecular pathways of several rare and neglected kidney disorders with eminent need and potential for diagnostic and therapeutic progress, using latest “Omics” technologies. Besides the elucidation of fundamental scientific questions, the project will focus strongly on the development of innovative diagnostic tools and biomarkers as well as models for the screening of potential therapeutic agents. This could open the possibility of individualized therapies for the benefit of the more than 30,000 newly diagnosed patients per year suffering from these debilitating kidney diseases. GABO:mi is proud to be a partner in this project and has supported EURenOmics from the proposal stage. less

The aim of this ambitious project is to develop a highly-powered and efficient software engine (SENATOR) capable of individually screening the clinical status and pharmacological and non-pharmacological therapy of older people with multimorbidity in order to define optimal drug therapy, highlight ADR risk, indicate best value drug brand for selection and provide advice on appropriate non-pharmacological therapy. 9 Partners under the coordination of Dr. Denis O`Mahony, geriatrician from the University College Cork, Ireland committed themselves for the next 5 years to run the project which started on 1 October 2012 and received 6 million Euros from the European Commission. GABO:mi has supported the consortium starting with the grant application stage and will be responsible for the project management.

Coordinated by Prof. Dr. Günter Neumann at the University of Hohenheim (near Stuttgart), the project BIOFECTOR started on 1 September 2012. Having succeeded in a tough competition, BIOFECTOR is funded with 6 million Euros by the European Commission. This project consists of 22 European partners of which 9 partners are small and medium enterprises, actively contributing to the research objective: Improving knowledge on plants and bio-effector interactions with their related physiological and chemical mechanisms. GABO:mi supported BIOFECTOR during proposal stage and is the project management partner during this project of a duration of 5 years.
On 1 July 2012 the international European research project Re-Liver (Bottom-up reconstitution of a biomimetic bioartificial liver) was started, coordinated by Dr. Joris Braspenning (Medicyte GmbH). The long term goal of this European project is to utilize bioartificial liver organoids as alternative to solid organ transplantation. GABO:mi supported the consortium, consisting of five European partners, already in the proposal phase and will take care of the project management during the three-year project duration.
This research project is receiving funding of 4.2 million Euros from the European Commission.
On 1 April 2012, the IMI (Innovative Medicine Initiative) project EU-AIMS started. EU-AIMS is the largest single grant for autism research in the world and the largest for the study of any mental health disorder in Europe which will be led by Dr. Will Spooren (Roche) and Prof. Declan Murphy (King’s College London). EU-AIMS brings together top scientists from 24 academic European institutions and Biotech companies with a wide range of expertise, and partners them with major global drug companies from the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industry Associations (EFPIA) including Roche, Eli Lilly, Servier, Janssen Pharmaceutica, Pfizer and Vifor Pharma; as well as world leading autism charities including Autism Speaks (USA). The project will study new methods for the development of drugs for autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The research of EU-AIMS will be funded by the IMI, the EFPIA companies and from Autism Speaks over the duration of five years with 29.6 million Euros.

In the last Calls of FP7, we were again very successful. Currently, we are in contract negotiations with 7 projects. Among these, 4 coordinating institutions are located in Germany:
- Universität Hohenheim, D
- Medicyte GmbH (SME) Heidelberg, D
- Universitätsklinikum Heidelberg, D
- Charité Berlin, D
- University of Manchester, UK
- University College Cork, IR
- King‘s College London, IoP, UK
This impressive result is best proof and evidence for a winning team. We are proud of actively supporting the European spirit of research together with our research partners!
On 1 February 2012, the European research project EuroHYP-1 started. The project is a large, multicentre clinical trial which will assess mild hypothermia as a novel treatment for ischemic stroke and is coordinated by Prof. Stefan Schwab at the Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Germany. The project includes 35 European partners and one international partner organization from Australia. It will be funded by the European Commission over the duration of five years with 10.9 million Euros. GABO:mi has successfully supported EuroHYP-1 from the proposal phase on.
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Stroke is the second cause of death world-wide and the second cause of lost disability-adjusted life years in high-income countries. Stroke incidence rises exponentially with age, so its social and economic burden will grow with the ageing of the European population. Systematic review of experimental studies suggests that hypothermia is the most promising intervention identified to date. Therapeutic cooling is effective in reducing ischaemic brain injury following cardiac arrest, and hypothermia is therefore considered by experts the most promising treatment for patients with acute ischaemic stroke, next to reperfusion strategies.
The EuroHYP-1 trial is a pan-European, open, randomised, phase III clinical trial which will assess the benefit or harm of therapeutic cooling in 1500 awake adult patients with acute ischaemic stroke. The investigators involved in the EuroHYP-1 consortium are leading European experts in statistical design and analysis, therapeutic hypothermia, imaging, health economics, ultrasound, biomarkers, and trial execution (implementation and monitoring); furthermore, the consortium involves European patient and family advocacy groups and small and medium-size enterprises, in order to ensure the successful enrolment of patients and the data analysis.
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On 1 January 2012 the European research project DORIAN (Developmental Origins of healthy and unhealthy Ageing: the role of maternal obesity) was started, coordinated by the Institute of Clinical Physiology-CNR, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche in Pisa, Italy. Dr. Patricia Iozzo and her team were successfully supported by GABO:mi from the proposal stage onwards. The European Commission funds DORIAN for 3 years, with an amount of 3 million Euros.
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This multidisciplinary project will generate a better understanding of the basic mechanisms of early life development and ageing, which may translate into the improvement of health and quality of life during the entire life course. In particular, the Consortium of DORIAN will investigate and analyze the impacts of maternal obesity on the way of ageing and its associated degenerative pathologies in the offspring through the duration of life.
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On 1 January 2012 the European research project EUROFORGEN-NoE (European Forensic Genetics Network of Excellence) started. The project is led and coordinated by the University of Cologne/Institute of Legal Medicine, Prof. Peter Schneider. Its consortium consists of 12 European partners and involves outstanding and well-known scientists within the field of forensic genetics, aiming for the initiation of a sustainable Network of Excellence. GABO:mi supported the consortium successfully during the proposal phase. The project will run for 5 years and is funded by the European Commission with an amount of 6.6 million Euros.
On 1 January 2012 the international European research project NILVAD (A European multicentre double-blind placebo-controlled phase III trial of nilvadipine in mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease) started, coordinated by the Trinity College Dublin (TCD), Ireland. Prof. Brian Lawlor and his team were already successfully supported by GABO:mi during the proposal stage. The European Commission funds NILVAD for 5 years, with an amount of 6 million Euros. more
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is an ever-increasing public health concern among the aging population and is the most common form of dementia affecting more than 15 million individuals worldwide and around 5 million Europeans. The direct and indirect costs of AD and other dementias amount to more than €440,000 million each year (www.alz.org, 2010).
There is therefore an imperative to develop new treatments for AD that have disease modifying effects. NILVAD performs a double-blind placebo controlled study that will test the efficacy and safety of nilvadipine in 500 subjects with mild to moderate AD over a treatment period of 18 months. Male and female patients with mild to moderate AD aged between 50 and 90 with a range of medical morbidities and frailty will be included in the study. If this trial is successful, nilvadipine would represent an advance in the treatment of AD patients and would have a major impact on the health and social care costs incurred in Europe by this neurodegenerative disorder.

On 1 January 2012 the international European research project DITAC (Disaster Training Curriculum) started, coordinated by the Universitaetsklinikum Bonn. Dr. Philipp Fischer and his team were already successfully supported by GABO:mi during the proposal stage. The European Commission funds DITAC for 3 years, with an amount of 4 million Euros.
moreA European multi-disciplinary team of experts is collaborating to develop a standardised curriculum for international crises management hereby referred to as DITAC. The DITAC project aims to develop a holistic and highly structured curriculum for first responders and strategic crisis managers that are tasked in dealing with disasters on a national and international scale. The curriculum will tackle dynamic challenges facing disaster incident managers in order to enhance the efficiency, efficacy, coordination, coherence and appropriateness of their response efforts. These skills are crucial because of an alarming increase in the frequency, intensity and complexity of disasters while governments are simultaneously facing budgetary constraints on humanitarian aid due to overwhelming sovereign debt. less
The European research project WAKE-UP (Efficacy and safety of MRI-based thrombolysis in wake-up stroke: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial) started on 1 December 2011. The project is coordinated by the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Prof. Christian Gerloff. GABO:mi already supported the consortium successfully during the proposal phase. The consortium consist of 13 European partners and will run for 5 years. The European Commission funds the project with an amount of 12 million Euros.
moreThe objective of the research proposed in the WAKE-UP project is to provide expanded treatment options for acute stroke improving the outcome of stroke patients, thus reducing the burden of stroke. For this purpose, WAKE-UP will conduct an investigator-initiated multicentre randomised double-blind placebo-controlled trial designed to test efficacy and safety of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-based intravenous thrombolysis in patients waking up with stroke symptoms or patients with unknown symptom onset.
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On 1 November 2011, the European research project EpiPGX (Epilepsy Pharmacogenomics: delivering biomarkers for clinical use) started, coordinated by the University College London. Professor Sanjay Sisodiya and his team were already successfully supported by GABO:mi during the proposal stage. The European Commission funds EpiPGX for 4 years, with an amount of 6 million Euros.
moreThe purpose of EpiPGX is to identify genome-based biomarkers for use in clinical practice to individualise treatment of epilepsy, and stratify patients for clinical trials, aiming to avoid chronicity, prevent relapse and reduce adverse drug reactions (ADRs). The project will use genome-wide analyses, including next-generation sequencing, in large, well-phenotyped patient cohorts to identify genome-based biomarkers, to improve use of current antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) and identify new therapy targets. SMEs, which are central to this project, will be able to take the data forward for development of clinical tests.
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On 1 October 2011, the research project DEM-CHILD (A Treatment-Oriented Research Project of NCL Disorders as a Major Cause of Dementia in Childhood) started. The consortium is led by Dr Angela Schulz, University-Clinic Hamburg-Eppendorf and consists of 10 international partners. The outstanding aspect of this project is the collaboration with a partner in India where dementia in childhood is as critical an issue as in Europe. GABO:mi supported the consortium successfully during the proposal phase, and is now an active partner taking care of all project management tasks. The project duration is 3 years and the funding by the European Commission amounts to 3 million Euros.

The FP7 project EuroSkinGraft started on 1 October 2011 and is coordinated by the University Zurich. The project deals with a novel generation of skin substitutes to clinically treat broad spectrum of severe skin defects. GABO:mi is the project management partner, who has successfully accompanied the consortium through the proposal phase. The consortium consists of 7 European partners and is funded for 5 years with an amount of 6 million Euros by the European Commission.
Report on skin grafting on Swiss TV
TV broadcast

Together with some researchers of the project CARDIORISK, we managed to win a grant for a follow-up project. The project ProCardio deals with cardiovascular Risk from Exposure to Low-dose and Low-dose-rate Ionizing Radiation. ProCardio is coordinated by Prof. Michael J. Atkinson, Helmholtz Zentrum for Environmental Health Munich. The project is due to start on 1 October 2011. For a period of three years, we support the researchers in project management and the development of a website.
GABO:mi belongs to TOP 20 SMEs
On position 14 GABO:mi is the only enterprise in Germany belonging to TOP 20 SMEs (Small and Medium Enterprises) in Europe. This information is part of the latest FP7 Monitoring Report of the European Commission, published in August 2011.
In the last Calls of FP7, we were very successful. Currently, we are in contract negotiations with 11 projects. Among these, 6 coordinating institutions are located in Germany:
- Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf, D (two projects)
- Klinikum der Universität zu Köln, D
- Universitätsklinikum Bonn, D
- Helmholtz Zentrum München, D
- Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, D
- University College London, UK
- King‘s College London, IoP, UK
- Trinity College Dublin, IR
- Universität Zürich, CH
- Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Pisa, I
This impressive result is best proof and evidence for a winning team. In twofold dimension: on the one hand, a successful team together with the researchers and on the other hand, a committed project management team. We are proud of actively supporting the European Idea and spirit of research!
Four of these eleven projects have already carried out successful PR work:
- Trinity College Dublin: "Clinical Trials for New Alzheimer's Disease Treatment to be Awarded European Commission €6 million Funding"
press release
press release Alzheimer Research Forum - Universität Zürich: Report on skin grafting (Project EuroSkinGraft) on Swiss TV
TV broadcast - Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf: Report on stroke (Project Wake-up) on German TV
TV broadcast
- Universitätsklinikum Erlangen: Report on hypothermia (Project EuroHyp) on German TV
TV broadcast
PREDI-NU – Continuation of a success story
Together with the researchers of the project EAAD (European Alliance Against Depression), we managed to win a grant for a follow-up project. The project PREDI-NU (Preventing Depression and Improving Awareness through Networking in the EU) deals with the improvement of education and the prevention of depressions. The main objective is the development of an Internet-based self-management platform for young people with mild depressions. The project is due to start on 1 September 2011. For a period of three years, we support the researchers in project management, development of a website and an IT-platform.
On 1 January 2011, our second IMI JU – project (Innovative Medicines Initiative) OncoTrack, led by Dr David Henderson, Bayer Schering Pharma AG and Prof. Hans Lehrach, Max-Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics started. Over the next five years, in total 18 renowned universities, biotech companies and European pharmaceutical companies join forces for the research of biomarkers in the field of cancers, in order to better adjust therapies for the patient.

In the course of the next 5 years, ENS@T-CANCER (European Network for the Study of Adrenal Tumours – Structuring clinical research on adrenal cancers in adults) takes care of research on adrenal gland cancer. This type of cancer is a rare cancer with very poor prognosis. The diagnosis usually happens that late, that tumour cells have already started settling on neighbouring organs. The European Commission funds this project with an amount of 6 million Euros.
moreIn the next 5 years, the ENS@T-CANCER consortium will develop new methods for the diagnosis and treatment of adrenal cancer. At the same time, a network of treatment centres is to be established via ENS@T-CANCER, in order to provide the most current and modern methods to the patients. It is the international cooperation that enables the research on such types of rare cancer.
The scientific coordinator of this project is Prof. Felix Beuschlein, of the Ludwigs-Maximilian-Universität (LMU) in Munich. Besides GABO:mi as project management partner, there are another 13 partners in this project.

Coordinated by Dr. Sascha Sauer of the Max-Planck-Institute for Molecular Genetics, ESGI (European Sequencing and Genotyping Infrastructure) will develop a European infrastructure for DNA sequencing and genotyping. ESGI will provide access to top-notch DNA-sequencing establishments, with a total budget of 10 million Euros.
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Over the last 30 years, there was massive progress in the field of biomedical research. At the same time, costs dropped dramatically. The quality of sequencing methods was increased. In the meantime, genomes can be examined entirely and molecular networks can be analysed efficiently. ESGI will support Europe in becoming the leading region in genetic research. For more information: www.esgi-infrastructure.eu
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The FP7 project “The HIP Trial" started on 1 October 2010 and is coordinated by the University College Cork in Ireland. GABO:mi is the project management partner, who has successfully accompanied the consortium through the proposal phase. The consortium consists of 13 European and Canadian partners and is funded for 5 years with an amount of 5,7 million Euros by the European Commission.
moreHIP (Management of Hypotension In the Preterm Extremely Low Gestational Age Newborn) is a clinical trial, in which better therapies for preterm births are developed. According to conservative studies, about half of all preterm births suffer from too low blood pressure. This condition often leads to brain damage, disturbance of the neuronal development with a livelong disability as a consequence and is further associated with an increased mortality. It is the aim of the study to develop efficient medicines, which do not only increase the babies' chances of survival, but also protects them from long-term disabilities. less

On 1 November 2010, the international European research project INTRICATE (Infection triggers of chronic autoimmunity) started, coordinated by the Medical University Vienna. Prof Dr Kain and her team were already successfully supported by GABO:mi through the proposal phase. The European Commission funds INTRICATE for four years, with an amount of 6 million Euros.
moreINTRICATE is a unique project which brings together renowned scientists from various academic institutions and SME's, of whole Europe and the USA. The project should find out the links between infections and autoimmune diseases. INTRICATE examines the connection between specific infections and the autoimmune disease "Systemic Vasculitis", which is characterized by an inflammatory destruction of the blood cells, arteries and veins. The results of INTRICATE should then be translated into clinical applications. That way, it will be possible to make predictions and to carry out monitoring of the inflammatory processes which trigger Systemic Vasculitis.
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