The first G8 Summit on dementia is being held in London on December 11th, 2013
The G8 Dementia Summit will bring together, for the first time, health ministers from around the world with the aim of stimulating investment in dementia research, improving the prevention and treatment of dementia, and improving quality of life for people with dementia.
The G8 Summit in London presents a unique opportunity for international leaders to tackle dementia on a global scale and represents a large step forward in raising awareness and promoting the need for increased research in this area, according to Professor Philippe Amouyel, Chair of the JPND Management Board.
The number of people living with dementia worldwide in 2013 is now estimated at 44 million – a figure set to triple within a generation. With no single country having the resources to combat dementia alone, the G8 summit is therefore a very positive step towards international commitments to increase research investments and improve coordination of dementia research.
As the largest global research initiative aimed at tackling the challenge of neurodegenerative diseases, in particular Alzheimers, JPND is looking forward to working with the new plans and initiatives emerging from the summit, said Professor Amouyel. JPND has developed a widely recognized research strategy and accumulated a large experience in large collaborative programs in dementia that can help to accelerate the development of future G8 proposals, as suggested by arecent editorial in The Lancet Neurology.
JPND brings together researchers, national funding bodies and the existing research evidence in 27 countries to investigate the key research questions and barriers to progress in the area of neurodegenerative diseases.
G8 Countries: Canada, France, Germany, Italy Japan, Russia, United Kingdom, United States of America (with representation from the European Union)
The summit declaration and comminique were released on Dec. 11th 2013. You can download both at the file links below:
The JPND Action Group on longitudinal cohort studies has published its report, bringing together for the first time the wealth of cohort opportunities for neurodegeneration research across JPND countries.
JPND is currently investigating potential actions for both disease-based and population-based longitudinal cohort studies, whereby current member state-led or European Commission-supported activities can be expanded or better exploited, or new activities identified.
A JPND Action Group on Longitudinal Cohort studies in Neurodegeneration Research met during 2013 and has reported back to JPND. The group was tasked with:
Taking stock of current longitudinal cohort studies for both ND-based and general population studies of relevance
Determining how JPND adds value to existing cohort investments
Identifying gaps and cases for new activity in areas of unmet need
Scoping the emerging scientific opportunities
The report spans general population-based, targeted (preclinical) and disease-focused cohorts. Valuable information that is immediately accessible include:
analyses of longitudinal and disease cohort studies
an analysis of imaging studies
a cohort reference list with web links
The information provided on imaging and in the reference list represents a snapshot of what was available to the Action Group during 2013. Whereas the listings aim to be as comprehensive as possible, JPND is requesting that any studies omitted from the list should contact JPND ([email protected]) with their information, which will be added when the lists are updated.
Implementation of JPND actions in this area will be based on the advice in the report. The options for implementation are based on an analysis of the opportunities presented by current European longitudinal cohort capability as well as comparison with selected international studies. Recommendations span coordination, funding and policy areas. Priorities for action will be set by JPND Management Board for announcement in 2014.
The report can be downloaded at the link below:
JPND has launched two calls for proposals aimed at encouraging research teams across Europe to investigate the cross-disease pathways in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimers and Parkinsons, and to identify new, innovative preventive strategies for these debilitating conditions.
Neurodegenerative Diseases such as Alzheimers and Parkinsons are a global health, economic and social emergency with numbers affected expected to double by 2030 and more than triple by 2050 according to Professor Philippe Amouyel, Chair of the JPND Management Board.
With this in mind, JPND-participating countries have identified two further areas of greatest need for targeted investment in order to improve understanding of the underlying links between different diseases, and to encourage new ideas on preventive strategies.
Professor Amouyel added This investment is part of a series of JPND funding initiatives, aimed at addressing priority areas identified in our European Research Strategy. This years calls will see over 23 million euro made available to applicants from 18 different countries.
According to Professor Thomas Gasser, University of Tübingen and Chair of the JPND Scientific Advisory Board, Neurodegenerative diseases currently cannot be cured, prevented, or even substantially slowed. In order to tackle these diseases together, we need greater thinking across traditional clinical boundaries and new, innovative ideas aimed at preventing disease development and progression in healthy, at-risk and early-stage populations. These calls aim to harness the necessary expertise across Europe and globally to address these needs in the fight against these diseases.
The following neurodegenerative diseases are included for both calls:
Alzheimers disease and other dementias
Parkinsons disease and PD-related disorders
Prion disease
Motor neurone diseases
Huntingtons disease
Spinocerebellar ataxia (SCA)
Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA)
Call 1: Cross-Disease Analysis of Pathways There is clinical, genetic and biochemical evidence that similar molecular pathways are relevant in different neurodegenerative and other chronic diseases. Therefore, clinical phenotypes alone seem insufficient to provide an understanding of the underlying mechanisms involved, and to be the sole basis for prognosis and diagnosis of neurodegenerative diseases. This call is for multidisciplinary proposals (e.g. combining fundamental, pre-clinical and/or clinical research with computational approaches) to perform network analyses in different neurodegenerative and other chronic diseases to elucidate the underlying mechanisms involved. The combined analysis of diseases across traditional clinical boundaries may lead to a re-definition of clinical phenotypes and new approaches in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.
JPND Countries Participating in this call: Belgium, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovak Republic, Spain, Sweden, Turkey
Call 2: Pilot Studies on Preventive Strategies Recent results from epidemiological studies in aging suggest that preventive strategies may modify both the risk of developing neurodegenerative diseases and of symptom progression. However, it is not yet known whether these findings can be translated into efficacious preventive strategies that specifically target healthy persons, at risk populations or early stage patients with neurodegenerative diseases. Therefore, more research is needed to develop proof-of-concept for the design of prevention trials aimed to investigate the effect of complex interventions. JPND is launching this call for proposals in order to encourage interdisciplinary pilot studies for the design of preventive strategies related to neurodegenerative diseases.
JPND Countries Participating in this call: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Turkey
Note: Both calls are two-step, with a first stage (pre-proposal submission) deadline of February 18th (Cross-Disease Analysis) and February 20th (Preventive Strategies), 2014, respectively.
For these calls, JPND is piloting an online partnering tool to assist potential applicants to the currently open calls, in their search for partners and formation of consortia. It is believed that this tool will especially benefit early-career researchers and research groups not normally included in established consortia.
More information on the calls is available at:https://www.neurodegenerationresearch.eu/initiatives/annual-calls-for-proposals/open-calls/
Media enquiries should be directed to: Derick Mitchell[email protected]+353 1 2345103
The JPND Newsletter brings together a number of relevant JPND news stories for JPND international stakeholder communities.
Contents include highlights of JPND activities, information on JPND-supported projects as well as interviews with JPND Scientific Advisory Board members.
The second edition (November 2013) is availablehere or at the link below.
JPND is piloting an online partnering tool as an optional support for researchers interested in responding to the 2013 JPND Annual Calls for proposals.
Two JPND Calls for proposals are due to launch in early December, with the indicative call titlesalready released in a pre-call announcement.
A "JPND Partnering Tool" is being made available from November 7th to assist potential applicants to either call in their partnering activities.
The tool allows researchers to present their research group and expertise in a closed forum, tailored for JPND, thus making it easier for research partners to locate each other and collaborate on a proposal idea.
Researchers can also register a proposal idea and get comments from expert scientists and researchers within the tool. Consortia can then be built around the idea, potentially leading to drafting a proposal on the tool.
It is believed that this tool will especially benefit early-career researchers and research groups not normally included in established consortia. Established researchers can potentially use the tool to find specific expertise which may be missing from their pre-existing consortia.
Call texts, country-specific information, FAQ etc. for both 2013 Calls will be made availableon this page on the Call launch date (early December 2013).
For more information on the tool, clickhere or on the links below.
Two 2-step calls are due to launch in early December 2013, with a likely first stage (pre-proposal submission) deadline of February 2014.
The EU Joint Programme Neurodegenerative Disease Research (JPND) is implementing the priorities identified in itsResearch Strategy through a range of large-scale programmatic initiatives.
During the first phase of implementation (2012-2014), JPND anticipates the launch of JPND Joint Transnational Calls each year to address high priority areas in neurodegenerative disease research*.
JPND expects to launch two Joint Transnational Calls later this year aimed at supporting transnational collaborations in the field of neurodegenerative disease research. The 2-step calls are anticipated to launch in early December 2013, with a likely first stage (pre-proposal submission) deadline of February 2014.
Further detail will be provided here on the call launch date. However, the indicative titles of each call are provided below:
A call for European research projects for Cross-Disease Analysis of Pathways related to Neurodegenerative Diseases
The aim of the call is to establish a limited number of ambitious, innovative, multi-national and multi-disciplinary collaborative research projects that;
combine experimental approaches from fundamental, pre-clinical and/or clinical with computational approaches
perform network analyses in different neurodegenerative and other chronic diseases to elucidate the underlying mechanisms common and differing in the investigated diseases
will add value to existing research by analysing diseases across traditional clinical boundaries, thereby gaining deeper understanding of the patho-physiological mechanisms of the diseases.
A call for European research projects for Pilot Studies on Preventive Strategies related to Neurodegenerative Diseases
The aim of the call is to establish pilot initiatives to develop preventive strategies. Proposals should entail multidisciplinary studies which may focus on new paradigms for multimodal preventive interventions including culture specific aspects, on harmonisation initiatives, or on proof-of-concept, and feasibility studies. Proposals may include research-based evaluation of interventions and validation of outcome measures.
Please Note:
For both calls, JPND will pilot the use of a new online partnering tool. The tool will enable call applicants to showcase their research groups expertise, search for appropriate partners, pitch call-related ideas and draft their pre- and full-proposals online. The tool will be made available through the JPND website, and will be announced in a JPND News alert in November 2013.Sign up here for JPND website alerts.
All information regarding future JPND Call topics is indicative and subject to change.
* The JPND diseases are: Alzheimers disease (AD) and other dementias, Parkinsons disease (PD) and PD-related disorders, Prion disease, Motor neurone diseases (MND), Huntingtons Disease (HD), Spinocerebellar ataxia (SCA), Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA)
JPND is collaborating with the Ambient Assisted Living Joint Programme on Sept. 25th at the 2013 AAL Forum, in Norrköping, Sweden
Assisted living technologies such as ICT/smart technology offer enormous potential in the development of effective measures for prevention, intervention and care for people with neurodegenerative diseases and their carers.
To join forces and align priorities in this area, JPND and the Article-185 initiative – Ambient Assisted Living Joint Programme (AAL JP), are working together towards developing recommendations for joint actions in the area of assisted living technologies for neurodegenerative diseases.
A JPNDAlignment Action Group, containing members of both initiatives, is working to identify where JPND and AAL JP priorities and activities can be aligned, or new activities identified, and is organising actions to bring together important stakeholders in this area including users, academia, small businesses and the ICT and service industries.
The Action Group is organising a session entitled AAL & JPND: Partnering to meet needs in the area of neurodegenerative diseases/dementia, at the 2013 AAL Forum in Norrköping, Sweden, at 11am on Sept. 25th. The Forum is the annual platform for the ever-increasing European AAL community to meet and discuss topics relevant for improving the AAL JP as well as the adoption of AAL solutions in the market.
In this session information will be presented about JPND, on relevant AAL solutions (showcasing some AAL projects) followed by discussions on their potential impact as well as the way forward.
A JPND poster has been designed to promote the session at the Forum. The poster can be viewed at the filelink below.
For further information on the 2013 AAL Forum, click on the links below.
A total of eleven international consortia have been proposed for funding under two JPND Transnational calls between a total of 20 countries
These new projects are aiming to increase understanding of the factors that put people at risk of developing neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimers, and also to evaluate health and social care strategies for people living with these debilitating illnesses.
The projects are supported under two JPND transnational calls for proposals entitled
A call for European research projects for the identification of genetic, epigenetic and environmental risk and protective factors for Neurodegenerative Diseases
"A call for European research projects for the evaluation of health care policies, strategies and interventions for Neurodegenerative Diseases
The calls werelaunchedin December 2012 between 19 and 14 countries respectively, with a proposal deadline of March 2013.
The project proposals have been proposed for funding by the respective Peer Review Panels based on scientific evaluation and by the respective Call Steering Committees based on budget availability.
For further information on the projects proposed for funding, click on the links below.
Representatives of industry and patient organisations have joined the JPND Scientific Advisory Board
Since 2010, the JPND Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) has been delivering independent, strategic advice to the JPND Management Board for:
the establishment of its Strategic Research Agenda (SRA)
the ongoing implementation of priorities identified in the strategy
future strategy revision and stakeholder engagement
Members of the SAB provide recognised leadership across the three JPND thematic areas – scientific, medical and social/policy, including public health.
Recognising the importance of JPND engagement with its stakeholders, the SAB membership was recently expanded to provide scientific leadership from two major JPND stakeholder groups industry and patient organisations.
JPND is delighted to announce that the following candidates have accepted invitations from JPND to join the membership of the SAB:
Representatives of Industry
François Nicolas, Director of Neurology PET MDx, GE Healthcare
Thomas Rooney, Head of Translational Research, Neurodegenerative Diseases Group, Sanofi
Representatives of Patient Organisations
Brian Fiske, Vice President of Research Programs, Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinsons Research, USA
Charles Scerri, University of Malta and Honorary Secretary, Alzheimer Europe
Eric Karran, Director of Research, Alzheimer’s Research UK
Five new innovative pathfinder projects are being funded under the JPND-aligned CoEN initiative
The Centres of Excellence in neurodegenerative disease (CoEN) initiative, launched in 2010, funds collaborative research in the field of neurodegenerative disease, spanning disorders such as Alzheimers, Parkinsons and Motor Neurone Disease.
Under the second CoEN funding call, 3.0m has been awarded for5 Pathfinder projects, constituting innovative and creative proof-of-principle studies which, if successful, will provide a step change in neurodegeneration research.
The awarded projects take a high risk, high pay-off approach to identify and validate new potential drugs and develop innovative therapeutic approaches for Parkinsons Disease, Alzheimers Disease and other dementias. These projects bring together a wealth of resources and expertise from a number of research centres in different countries to tackle scientific questions that are vital to advancement within the field.
To ensure momentum, successful pathfinders will have the potential, in subsequent phases of the initiative, to win substantial follow-on funding that will help take the proof of principle studies to the next stage where they can have wider scientific and clinical impact.
The funded projects are:
1. Targeting glucocerebrosidase for disease-modifying treatments in Parkinsons disease Anthony H.V. Schapira (UK), David Park (Canada), Donato Di Monte (Germany) and Fabio Blandini (Italy)
2. WNT signaling: biomarker and target evaluation in Alzheimers disease Antonio Cuadrado (Spain), James Woodgett (Canada) and Simon Lovestone (UK)
3. Mechanisms of amyloid-beta clearance in models of vascular cognitive impairment and mixed dementia Gabor Petzold (Germany) and Danica Stanimirovic (Canada)
4. In vivo neuronal cell reprogramming for a new regenerative approach in Parkinsons disease Vania Broccoli (Italy), Alexander Dityatev (Germany) and Josè Luis Lanciego (Spain)
5. microRNA as novel therapeutic targets and disease biomarkers in Alzheimer’s Disease, Frontotemporal dementia and Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (NEURO-MIR) Jochen Prehn (Ireland), Andre Fischer (Germany), Pierre Lau (Flanders), Jose Lucas (Spain)
CoEN is an international initiative involving research funders in the UK (Medical Research Council), Canada (Canadian Institutes of Health Research), Germany (DZNE), Belgium (Flanders, VIB), Ireland (Science Foundation Ireland and Health Research Board), Italy (Ministry of Health), Slovakia (Slovak Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Sport), and Spain (ISCIII). The aim of the initiative is to encourage collaborative research between recognised national centres of excellence in neurodegeneration research. COEN is aligned with JPND, although it operates as an independent entity.
For further information please visit the links below:
