CORDIS-JRC

Breast cancer is by far the most frequent cancer among women, with an estimated 1,38 million new cancer cases diagnosed in 2008 (23% of all cancers) and one of the leading causes of cancer-related mortality.

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Air quality is not a local problem. Like clouds moving through the sky, pollution is transported from one location to another by wind patterns in the atmosphere. With each breath we inhale vital oxygen, but also small amounts of potentially harmful gases and small particles. These components directly affect our health, and can be carcinogenic. Observations, both from satellite and from the ground, can provide a snapshot of the air quality. The trouble is that they have no real predictive capability.

Shigellosis is an infection caused by the bacteria Shigella, resulting in dysentery and other painful symptoms as a result of diarrhoea, dehydration and bleeding. The EU-funded IPAH FUNCTIONS project will investigate the cellular and molecular mechanisms by which the bacteria infects the host — mostly humans and primates.

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Law enforcement and customs authority representatives from around Europe are developing a mobile network of low-power chemical, biological, radioactive, nuclear and explosive sensor systems. The proposed technology solution will complement the role played by dogs as part of the detection process at airports and border crossings.

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Building on the foundations laid by its predecessor project NM4TB, which discovered benzothiazinone (BTZ), MM4TB is continuing to develop new drugs for tuberculosis (TB). A tripartite screening strategy is delving into libraries of natural and synthetic compounds.

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How do people experiment with novel forms of citizenship? Using hybrid rather than strictly normative social situations and focusing on how individuals overcome the challenges of legal citizenship, PROFACITY termed this experimentation 'profane citizenship'.

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Improvements in the treatment of back pain — starting with better diagnosis — promise improvements in patients' quality of life. European researchers worked to contribute to related research through a study of disc-degeneration–related disorders.

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Scientists developed alternative testing strategies to assess the nanotoxicity of materials used in medical diagnostics. Enhanced understanding of the cellular mechanisms of toxicity will also support informed legislation and regulation.

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Five rural regions with extensive biomass resources increased cooperation in the field of research and innovation activities and boosted biomass business competitiveness. The project strengthened regional biomass research and innovation capacities and competence and encouraged investment in biomass energy use.

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Landslides are natural hazards that globally kill or injure a large number of people every year. European research is developing a novel monitoring system for areas at geographic risk.

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A European research project is developing a novel concept for targeted drug delivery into neuronal and cancer cells. Targeted delivery of local anaesthetics will diminish inflammatory, post-operative and neuropathic pain.

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An EU-funded project is continuing to investigate the full potential of the epigenome, a cell's record of signal changes in gene expression. Using a systems biology approach, the research is highly relevant to the aetiology of many diseases.

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Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) is the leading cause of liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular cancer with over 150 million people infected globally. Currently, no vaccine exists and treatment involves administration of a cocktail of antibiotics with limited efficacy and adverse side-effects.

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Exchange between the atmosphere and ocean enable the cycling of greenhouse gases (GHGs). Understanding this process is critical with increasing levels of GHG emissions. An EU-funded initiative was established to study in unison a number of processes that affect the air–sea fluxes of GHGs.

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An EU-funded project is showing the value of ground-based remote sensing data. This information will help improve our knowledge of Earth's atmosphere and its evolution.

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Upon infection, macrophages and dendritic cells (DCs) produce inflammatory cytokines that produce immune responses against the microbial threats. Understanding how these innate immune responses operate is vital for comprehending what factors lead to the development of autoimmune disorders.

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Impairment in the functioning of parkin (protein) causes Parkinson's disease (PD) but, until now, the cellular mechanisms were unclear. EU-supported scientists are shedding light on the issue with important implications for targeted therapies.

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The genetic basis for susceptibility to childhood infections is poorly understood. A European consortium is using meningococcal disease as a model to identify the genetic basis of susceptibility to infection and severity of disease.

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AIDS research has attempted many strategies to tackle the HIV virus infection. Now, a new type of vaccine developed within an EU-funded project, called EuroNeut-41, is based on one of the envelope proteins of the HIV virus, called the gp41 protein. What makes it interesting it that it is directly responsible for the fusion of the HIV virus into human cells. By integrating the gp41 protein into the vaccine, researchers try to trigger the production of antibodies that would block the entrance of HIV into human cells.

The cell membrane of most living beings is constituted of a lipid bilayer that separates the cell from its surroundings. Membranes also transport a myriad of components, such as drugs in the blood, detersive when we wash the dishes, and signal transduction in biosensors. Researchers can create lipid bilayers in vitro to investigate the physical and chemical processes that occur in biological membranes. There are several types of these model lipid bilayers, such as tethered Bilayer Lipid Membranes (tBLMs).