Medicine today experiences a gap between basic research and successful clinical translation that delays establishment of urgently needed therapies. This is very clearly so in blinding retinal degenerations (RDs), where most are yet untreatable, even with a wealth of basic and pre-clinical research data available.

To address this problem, transMed implements an innovative programme to educate young “translational researchers” that focuses on the bench-to-bedside development of treatments for RD. The transMed consortium joins researchers from academia and industry who contribute specific critical expertise to a curriculum covering all major aspects of translational research:

• Basic research into disease mechanisms and target definition
• Drug design and development
• In vitro test systems and in vivo disease models
• Drug delivery systems
• Biomarkers
• Good manufacturing practice
• Toxicological testing and pharmacokinetics
• Regulatory affairs
• Intellectual property
• Clinical trials
• Commercialisation

transMed integrates projects from different pre-clinical and clinical stages, to give its PhD students a broad overview in translational research. The training is completed by the inclusion of dedicated conferences for young researchers, a secondment and hands-on course programme from industry to academia and vice versa, permitting further insight and networking in the European biotech industry. Altogether, transMed allows its students to obtain a competitive PhD degree in critical areas of biomedical research, providing for a strong employability in both the private and public sector.

More information: http://www.transmed-itn.eu

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a chronic and progressive disease of the retina and is the most frequent cause of legal blindness in the EU. Patients progressing to late AMD gradually lose the central field of vision - making it impossible to read, write, drive and recognize faces. This loss of vision greatly impedes an independent and active life. AMD is also causing increasing costs on the ageing European society as it reaches a frequency of up to 25% in those aged 85 years and older.

AMD is a complex disease caused by a combination of non-genetic as well as genetic factors. Research to understand AMD is aiming to predict, prevent and treat AMD. Turning new knowledge into prediction, prevention and treatment is difficult because disease progression varies widely between individuals and more than one cellular pathway contributes to the retinal degeneration in AMD.

The EYE-RISK consortium has been using a systems medicine approach to overcome the difficulties in understanding the causes of AMD and its development. The project analysed data from large European cohorts and biobanks and combined the expertise of people from multiple disciplines and 14 organizations from all over Europe. This approach had an increased power to extract relevant information from existing databases and to validate new findings.

Analysing and integrating heterogeneous data qualities, EYE-RISK has determined the interrelationship between non-genetic as well as genetic risk factors for AMD. Specific emphasis has been put on the question, how a combination of risks jointly increases the risk for AMD by perturbing homeostasis in the choreocapillaris/Bruchs-Membrane/RPE interface towards a diseased state. Targeted laboratory approaches are currently generating high content datasets to validate two comprehensive in-silico models created by EYE-RISK researchers that are integrating genetic and environmental risks, pathophysiological drivers and mechanisms. Additionally, a risk-prediction algorithm incorporated in a web-tool available for patients and ophthalmologists was developed, allowing professional caretakers and patients to gain insight into individual lifestyle-associated parameters that influence disease risk and manifestation. This will provide options and incentives to patients to alter their lifestyle towards influencing their course of AMD.

More information: http://www.eyerisk.eu | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmdRPFvS-tI | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEUfZEfdVXw

All visual information is broadcasted by an intra-retinal pathway formed by a group of neurons called bipolar cells. They collect photoreceptor signals in the outer retina and relay the signals to the inner retinal neurons. This transfer of visual information is far from passive: Each of the at least 10 bipolar cell types transforms the photoreceptor signals in a unique and highly specific way. As a result, the bipolar cell output signals form the first “elementary operations” from which the neural circuits of the inner retina compose a feature-oriented description of the visual world (for review, see Euler et al., 2014).

The switchBoard consortium brings together eleven beneficiaries from eight different countries, combining the expertise of seven academic partners with excellent research and teaching records, one non-profit research organisation, and three fully integrated private sector partners. This European Training Network (ETN) is supported by six Partner Organisations as well as a management team experienced in multi-site training activities and counselled by a scientifically accomplished advisory board. Taken together, the switchBoard training network provides an international, interdisciplinary platform to educate young scientists at the interface of neurobiology, information processing and neurotechnology.

More information on the archived website

Despite increasing research on myopia over the past 30 years, it is clear that myopia is still on the rise in most countries. In fact, in Singapore, Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Taiwan, myopia rates reach 95% and the “high myopias” (> 6D), carrying severe risks of chorio-retinal degeneration and blindness, reach now 20% in young people (i.e. Sun et al, IOVS 2012, 53). In Germany, a recent study shows that persons graduating from high school after 13 years are 51% myopic (Mirshahi et al, Ophthalmology 2014, 121). Myopia is a civilization disease, its recent increase is NOT due to genes, and currently proposed strategies show only small, albeit significant, effects.

MyFUN provides an international, interdisciplinary platform to train 14 young scientists at the interface of physics and biology, to study unresolved questions about the visual control of eye growth. It has been extensively documented that the growth of the eye is controlled by closed-loop visual feedback, using retinal image defocus as an error signal. However, with tense education, predominant indoor activity and extensive near work, the eyes of young people grow too long and become near-sighted (myopic), reaching a prevalence of 95% in some Asian cities and 50% at German universities. While myopia is clearly a civilization disorder, it is strikingly unclear by which visual stimuli it is triggered, and how it can be stopped. The answers to these MyFUN research questions will fundamentally improve our understanding of myopia.

More information on the archived website

The retina sits in the back of our eyes and is a tissue that we depend on for our ability to see. Within the retina, the photoreceptor cells are responsible for capturing light and for transforming it into messages that can be sent to and interpreted by the brain. Photoreceptors are nerve cells, and will not be replaced when lost, which means that if they die, the retina loses its ability to capture light forever, with dramatic consequences for vision.

Hereditary loss of photoreceptors, or hereditary photoreceptor degeneration, is a collective term, which describes a group of diseases leading to severe visual impairment and blindness. Among these diseases there are several important subgroups such as Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP), Lebers Congenital Amaurosis (LCA), or Achromatopsia. Altogether, these diseases are considered the most common cause for visual loss in the working population, and it is estimated that they today affect 250.000 people in Europe alone. Hereditary photoreceptor degenerations are caused by mutations in the genetic material (DNA), and are passed on from parent to child. While the mutations behind many of the disease types are known, there are yet no treatments available for these feared disabilities.

Together, the DRUGSFORD consortium members aim at having a photoreceptor protective drug and delivery system ready for initial clinical trials by the finalization of the three-year project period.

More information on the archived website

Neurogastroenterology - a subspecialty of gastroenterology - is a new and emerging medical/scientific subspecialty that currently has no formal training opportunities in medicine and related disciplines. It includes basic science aspects (neurophysiology, neurobiology, neuropsychology, psychophysiology) and clinical aspects (gastroenterology, neurology, internal medicine, surgery, psychology, psychosomatic medicine) of the neural control of intestinal functions (motility, secretion, absorption, immunity, sensitivity) in health and disease.

Functional disorders of the gastrointestinal tract are among the most frequent disorders in the general population, are associated with high psychiatric (depression, anxiety, chronic fatigue) and somatic comorbidities (back pain, headache), and account for substantial direct and indirect health care costs occurring throughout Europe.

Functional disorders of the gastrointestinal tract are thought to be due to disorganized "gut-brain interaction" of either afferent or efferent or both pathways in control of intestinal functions. In addition, low-grade inflammation, nutritional challenges of the local immune system, and/or post-infectious neuroplastic changes of the enteric nervous system of the gut are believed to be common pathogenetic mechanisms. Genetic contributions have been established, and psychological modulators of its clinical expression have been shown to be effective; both contribute to the efficacy of therapeutic interventions. The standards of diagnosis of functional bowel disorders are still a matter of debate, and only a few effective treatment strategies are currently available.

The Initial Training Network NeuroGut, consisting of experienced academic and industrial partners organized in the European Neurogastroenterology and Motility Society (ESNM), is aimed at offering young researchers excellent training opportunities in neurogastroenterology and in complementary skills in order to generate a new generation of scientists dedicated to resolving open questions.

More information on the archived website

OpAL was an Initial Training Network (ITN) funded by the European Commission's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) under the Marie Curie Actions. It brought together 6 partners from 4 different countries and provided a platform to train young scientists at the interface of physics, optics and biology. Despite extensive research on the optics of the eye and the neuronal processing of the optical image that is projected on the retina, a number of basic questions are surprisingly unclear. Within OpAL, 12 young researchers were embedded in an individual personalised scientific project covering the overall research topic of the OpAL consortium. The proposed research projects elucidated the limits of visual performance, had direct implications for optical correction strategies (spectacles, refractive surgery) and for the understanding how different mono- and polychromatic aberrations limit vision and sensitivity in low light environments.

More information on the archived website

The ITN Edu-GLIA aimed at equipping young researchers with the most advanced knowledge in glial cell research in order to generate a new generation of scientists dedicated to resolving open questions of glia-neuron interactions.

It became evident that glial cells are involved in virtually every aspect of nervous system function. Neurons and glia exchange chemical signals that are essential for the normal function of the nervous system, and are crucial in disease. Recently it was discovered that glial cells also act as neural stem cells both in early development and adulthood, and in synapse formation. This rapid progress in glia research generated not only many new insights but also numerous new questions. It became obvious that in order to deal with the complexity of glia-neuron interactions and to formulate new concepts in the field, novel experimental paradigms and methodologies were needed.

Edu-GLIA’s unique consortium, coming from academia & industry, was formed by twelve network partners from seven different countries, five associated partners from three countries, fifteen young researchers from eleven countries and visiting scientists. Jointly they realized a common goal: To create a European network of expertise in research on glia-neuron interactions, thereby providing an excellent and effective platform for the education of the employed PhD and post-doctoral students.

Each Edu-GLIA project elucidated one particular glia-neuron interaction within the central or peripheral nervous system and was assigned to one of the following three approaches:

1. Glial contribution to information processing;
2. Role of glia in neurodegeneration and -regeneration;
3. Glial progenitor cells

The ITN Edu-GLIA set a high value on the training of the recruited young researchers in order to enhance their career prospects. Training was not restricted to ‘training-through-research’ but was complemented by systematic training in additional scientific skills as well as in skills beyond science (soft skills).

More information on the archived website

The concept of the project ‘Visual Impairment and Degeneration: A Road-map for Vision Research within Europe’ (EuroVisionNet) aims to coordinate and consolidate vision research activities and policies of the European vision research community in order to overcome the national fragmentation and to avoid duplication of work. EuroVisionNet will support and advise European societies and national organizations on both scientific and administrative issues. Offering educational and training workshops that cover both basic and clinical research would be an added benefit. These workshops and seminars will be tailored for the young as well as the highly advanced researcher.

The EuroVisionNet aims to address seven major challenges:

• Better definition and acceptance of vision research in the scientific community
• To overcome the still existing fragmentation of European research
• To reduce duplication of research efforts
• To increase communication between clinical and basic researchers
• To foster collaborations between academic research and industry
• To support clarity regarding national and international policy mandates relating to clinical research activities
• To develop a better educational concept in the vision research community

To address these issues four major objectives are defined within the European Vision Net project:

• Scientific integration of European vision research
• Collaboration with public and private sector
• Policies and guidelines for European vision research
• Information and knowledge transfer

More information on the archived website

In 1999, the CRB1 gene was found to be mutated in a specific group of patients with retinitis pigmentosa (RP) (den Hollander et al. 1999). This gene was given its name because of its close resemblance with a previously identified gene (Crumbs) in the fruitfly (Tepass et al. 1990). The function of the CRB1 protein in the human retina at that time was unknown. In 2001, six European research groups joined their efforts and established a new consortium that received funding from the European Union in 2002. This programme was entitled 'Crumbs therapeutics' (QLG3-CT-2002-01266) and aimed at the elucidation of the cellular function of the CRB1 protein to better understand the underlying disease process, to develop new molecular diagnostic tools for CRB1-associated subtypes of inherited blindness, to develop animal models for these human conditions, and to use these models to design new therapeutic strategies. Then in 2008, in the FP7 program, a new combination of 6 groups established a new consortium entitled "Crumbs In Sight" (HEALTH-F2-2008-200234) with the goal to provide a therapeutic approach to CRB1 related diseases of the retina. This new program will focus on the recovery of interactions between Müller glial cells and photoreceptors.

Website: http://crfb.univ-mrs.fr/Crumbs/section/en/Introduction/101

Disturbances in ion channel function lead to serious diseases of the nervous system, skeletal and cardiac muscle, and intestine which makes ion channels important drug targets for the pharmaceutical industry. Calcium currents through L-type voltage-gated Ca2+ channels (L-VGCCs) play a key role in the cellular signalling in brain, heart, smooth muscles, sensory (e.g. inner ear, retina), and endocrine cells (e.g. pancreatic islets). In distinct cells of these organs, the pore forming 1-subunits Cav1.2 and/or Cav1.3 conduct Ca2+ currents that are required for their function.

To address the important question about the differential contribution and functional communication of these L-VGCC isoforms and their potential role in other tissues an already existing network of collaborating scientists will be complemented by excellent researchers providing the required advanced research methods and front-end ion channel expertise.

As Cav1.2 and Cav1.3 show an overlapping expression pattern in a variety of tissues and subunit-specific antagonists or agonists are not available so far, genetic tools are urgently needed to dissect the specific roles of both Cav1.2 and Cav1.3 in normal and pathological function. This consortium will complement its existing mouse models by new ones and will apply state of the art molecular biological, electrophysiological, Ca2+ imaging techniques and behavioural analyses to reveal the physiological role and pharmacotherapeutic potential of these channels with a special focus on various diseases (e.g Alzheimer, epilepsy, arrhythmias, diabetes, tinnitus, deafness).

The long standing and complementary expertise of the network partners will not only advance our understanding of the role of individual L-VGCC subtypes in health and disease but also provides an excellent opportunity for an integrative and interdisciplinary but appropriately focussed training in the field of signal transduction in general and ion channels in particular.

More information on the archived website

This application brings together a major part of the European expertise in myopia research. Biological mechanisms underlying myopia development are widely studied in the USA, Australia and, in particular, in the far East Asian countries. But until now, there is little contribution from Europe. Current research in myopia is funded exclusively by local govermental institutions. Given the increasing importance of myopia in the industrialized countries, a more bundled approach is necessary and timely.

The current application brings together three major approaches to arrest myopia development

1. changing spectacle lens design
2. identifying gene loci that are linked to myopia development
3. investigating the biochemical signalling cascade from the retina to the sclera that controls axial eye growth and testing its pharmacological intervention.

A unique aspect of the research training in this RTN application is that we will be training physicists, computer science students and engineers in biological techniques. On the other hand, biology and medicine student will have an introduction on the technological aspects, in addition to the cutting-edge and more specialized training in the particular topics of their projects.

More information on the archived website

Cognitive function is the most precious of all human attributes, its loss is considered as one of the most severe and dreadful handicaps for human life quality. The prevalence of neurodegenerative diseases is increasing in the European society and will get even more prevalent in our ageing population. The focus of the proposed EST will be to promote and improve training possibilities and to improve our knowledge of neurodegeneration that will eventually lead to prevention and therapy. Ten internationally recognised research groups from three European countries link up in the context of a well defined collaborative project in order to formulate and implement a structured training programme for young researchers.

The participants have been responsible for the identification and characterisation of major genes for neurodegenerative diseases. This project will boost the professional career development of young researchers effectively, as the proposing research teams bring together a critical mass of theoretical and applied research capabilities by using a multidisciplinary/intersectorial approach.

Expertise available within the consortium has been grouped into three key topic areas, namely,

1. genomics and biology of neurons,
2. understanding of CNS and retinal function and dysfunction through the study of degenerative disease and
3. development of therapeutic approaches using animal models of disease and cell based system.

More information on the archived website

The current proposal is concerned with developing our understanding of the brain mechanisms, which subserve our ability to plan and control action in space. Specifically, it focuses on the sensorimotor processes, which underlie the integration of sensory information and the translation of sensory signals into motor commands. This is not only an interesting and central issue within systems neuroscience but also is likely to yield much in terms of novel therapies to alleviate the consequences of brain damage or disease following head-injury. In addition, the interaction with machine learning and robot control will be fruitful for understanding neural mechanisms on the level of information processing. For studying and teaching this field of research, the current proposal brings together scientists working with a wide range of techniques from theoretical modelling, single cell recordings in behaving monkeys, clinical neuropsychology, to system biology and functional imaging techniques such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS).

The proposed Research Training Project focuses on the production of adaptive spatial behavior based on the interplay of perception, central information processing, memory, learning, and motor action. The processing stream from perception to action will be studied on various levels. By quantitative measurements of behavior of freely moving humans and animals, as well as by synthesizing navigation and grasping with biomorphic robots, we will address the overall performance. On a finer level, sensory contributions are investigated using psychophysical techniques, e.g. by varying the available sensory information, as well as by tracking movements of the eyes. Neural mechanisms are studied by quantifying the behavioral deficits resulting from brain damage in patients (occipital and parietal lobes) or from experimental cooling of parts of the parietal lobe in monkeys. Single cell electrophysiology and functional brain imaging will be used to investigate neural mechanisms in the normal brain. Finally, statistical learning theory will be employed to study learning of sensorimotor coordination and recovery after brain damage.

The interplay of perception and action is mediated by the flows of information from the environment to the organism, between sensors and effectors within the organism, and from the organism to the environment. It is this notion of information, i.e. an entity coupling perception and action, which is studied in biological information processing. Only in this framework is it possible to define the notion of relevance of a piece of information for the organism. This is especially clear in spatial behavior, which is always a closed loop of perception and action. The proposal focuses on two well-defined tasks in the field of spatial behavior, (i) path following and obstacle avoidance in cluttered environments and (ii) hand movements for pointing, grasping, and manipulation.

More information on the archived website

The visual sense is the most precious of all human senses - its loss is considered as one of the most severe and dreadful handicaps for human life quality. Degenerative diseases of the retina (retinopathies) represent the most prevalent cause of registered blindness in the European society and will get even more prevalent in our ageing population. At the same time one is impressed by the ingenious capabilities and properties of the retina that has evolved to serve its unique function in light perception and first-order neuronal processing. The focus of the "European Retinal Research Training Network" ('RETNET') will be to promote and improve training possibilities in the field of visual neuroscience, molecular biology of the retina and ophthalmo-genetics and to improve our knowledge of retinal diseases that will eventually lead to prevention and therapy.

More information on the archived website