Abstract
(Englisch)
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The goal of the 4-year project is to develop an advanced technological platform for new cell based therapies and create a foundation for translational research in the stem cell field. The project draws together the capabilities of 11 academic centres and 3 SMEs in 8 European countries, with expertise encompassing transgenesis, stem cell biology, developmental biology, tissue repair, in vivo disease models and clinical cell transplantation. The key aim is to develop well-characterized cell lines of therapeutic potential derived from stem cells of embryonic, neural, mesodermal and epithelial origin. The breadth and scale of this project are unprecedented in the stem cell field worldwide and will enable for the first time a systematic comparative evaluation of the properties and therapeutic potential of stem cells of embryonic, foetal and adult origin. The research is organized in 7 Work Packages: Identification and Isolation (WPl), Lineage Analysis and Differentiation Potential (WP2), Self-Renewal and Upscaling (WP3), Control of Differentiation (WP 4), Application in Neurological Disease (WP 5), Muscle Repair (WP 6), and Epidermal Repair (WP 7). Spanning the work packages are three Flagship Projects aimed at Generation of new antibody reagents against stem cells (FSP 1), development of a prototype European Stem Database and Stem Cell Repository (FSP 2), and a Forum for Ethics and Social Issues related to stem cell research (FSP 3). A pan-European Training Program will promote interdisciplinary and trans-European collaboration and technology transfer, and stimulate the recruitment of young scientists and clinical researchers to the stem cell field. Three SMEs are fully integrated in the programme and an IPR Management Team will ensure that intellectual property and commercial exploitation are professionally handled.
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