Projects

The National Institute of Biology is a partner in the project "TRANS-GLIOMA: Promotion of a Joint Translational Platform to Identify Innovative Therapies to Treat Glioblastoma ", financed by the INTERREG V-A Cooperation Program Italy-Slovenia 2014-2020, the European Regional Development Fund.

The project addresses the challenges identified by the Europe 2020 Strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth, identified in the Program Italy-Slovenia and in the priority objectives of the Smart Strategy specializations.

The aim is to increase the cooperation between the key actors in the field of biomedicine (research institutes, hospitals, universities and enterprises), to promote the transfer of knowledge and innovative biomedical techniques in the field of brain cancer (glioblastoma) and improving the competitiveness of research in oncology.

The project is upgrading the results of the previous GLIOMA project (2007-2013), validating the prognostic values of detected biomarkers in a large number of cases and their use in finding new therapeutic options. Strengthening the cross-border network of partners will increase competitiveness in research and treatment.

Expected results are: development of open-source code software, designed to analyze the data of the joint bio-bank of project partners (called GLIOBANK), identification of a new personalized pharmacological targets for patients, close collaboration of 3 research organizations, 2 hospitals and 1 enterprise and others involved.

This set up collaboration will benefit for researchers, medical doctors, students, spin-offs and start-ups and of course patients. The approach is based on the presence of a critical mass of centers of excellence (universities, research institutions and enterprises) and on the transfer of the research results into the market. In order to achieve this cross-border approach, specific but different competences are needed. The project is innovative with introduction of "precision medicine" into glioma field, with identification of the genomic profile of the tumor microenvironment and patient tumor stem cells. It will lead into using new, specific medicinal products which are specific for certain subtype of the disease on the individual level, increasing the possibility of using a new way of treatment for currently incurable disease.

Partners:
1. PP1 Leading partner: University of Ljubljana (UL) - Medical Faculty
2. PP2 Azienda Sanitaria Universitaria Integrata di Udine (ASUIUS), University of Udine
3. PP3 Elettra Sincrotrone Trieste S.C. p. A.
4. PP4 National Institute of Biology (NIB)
5. PP5 Biosistemika d.o.o.
6. PP6 Azienda ULSS 3 SERENISSIMA

Associated partners of the project:
• Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia
• Slovenian Innovation Hub European Economic Interest Grouping
• Centre of Excellence for Biosensors, Instrumentation and Process Control (COBIK)
• SiNAPSA, Slovenian Society for Neuroscience
• Direzione centrale salute, integrazione socio sanitaria, politiche sociali e famiglia “Area servizi assistenza ospedaliera – Regione Autonoma Friuli Venezia Giulia

Value of the project: 1.302.252,49 €