Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by infection with SARS coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has reached pandemic proportions with more than 7 million people infected and 0.4 million people killed worldwide. Death rates are accentuated by cardiovascular comorbidities and arrhythmias leading to unexpected major cardiovascular events. Being able to identify COVID-19 patients at risk of developing cardiovascular events leading to death would allow improving surveillance and care. Currently, there is no accurate method to predict outcome of COVID-19 patients. COVIRNA is a patient-centered Innovation Action aiming to satisfy this urgent and unmet need. COVIRNA will complete and deploy a prognostic system based on cardiovascular biomarkers of COVID-19 clinical outcomes combined with digital tools and artificial intelligence analytics (i.e. prediction model). Complementary expertise of 15 EU partners from the healthcare sector, academia, association and industry will allow conducting a large retrospective study on existing cohorts of COVID-19 patients. By upscaling the already validated and patented research use only FIMICS panel of cardiac-enriched long noncoding RNA biomarkers into an in-vitro diagnostic test (COVIRNA) adapted to COVID-19 patients, the project will quickly deliver a minimally-invasive, simple yet robust and affordable prognosis tool that can be used in the context of the current COVID-19 crisis as well as in further major health issues. By tackling the cardiovascular complications in COVID-19, known to contribute significantly to mortality, the project outputs are expected to have a major impact on the pandemic outcomes. The COVIRNA test will be CE-marked and prepared for commercialization, allowing to risk stratify patients, adapt therapies and to inform drug design.

Cysteinyl leukotrienes (CysLTs) are potent lipid mediators of inflammation. CysLT1 and 2 receptors are widely expressed e.g. lungs, colorectum, heart, brain & eye; and CysLT1 antagonists are prescribed to treat airway inflammation. Excitingly, CysLT signalling was recently discovered to regulate the biology of vascular, neuronal and cancer cells underpinning its untapped therapeutic potential in other diseases. CRYSTAL3 interconnects unique and diverse researchers to create a multidisciplinary team sharing expertise and research capacities. The contribution of CysLT signalling to disease is divulged; its therapeutic potential unlocked and new services & products commercialised. This is delivered by staff exchanges to jointly research Ocular & Central Nervous System (CNS), Cardiovascular system (CV) and Cancer diseases. The R&I goal of CRYSTAL3 is to reduce human disease burden by enhancing EU capability and knowledge-sharing in research and commercialisation. This is achieved through advanced international co-operation between 5 academic and 5 non-academic partners, in 7 countries. The focus is on innovative research into the CysLT signalling pathway in human diseases related to the Ocular-CNS, & CV systems and Cancer (OCCC). The 3 overall objectives of CRYSTAL3 are: A) Combine resources to discover novel pathological mechanisms linking cysteinyl leukotriene signalling to ocular, central nervous system, cardiovascular disease and cancer (OCCC). B) Unite partner capacities to uncover the therapeutic potential of cysteinyl leukotriene signalling in ocular, central nervous system, cardiovascular disease and cancer (OCCC). C) Commercialise products and services co-developed within CRYSTAL3 The CRYSTAL3 consortium tackles these challenges by promoting cross-sector, inter-European R&I staff exchanges among participants with expertise in OCCC disease, computational drug discovery, genetic engineering, pre-clinical disease models, marketing and commercialisation.

The Infarnosys project aims to launch a novel, combined biomarker diagnostic system on the market that will help clinicians and laboratories to earlier and better diagnose cardiac ischemia/reperfusion injury and prognosticate the effectiveness of the treatment. The innovative process measures MMP-2, MMP-9 and nitrotyrosin levels and tests MMP inhibitors in artery blood samples. Measuring MMP and nitrotyrosin levels enables predicting the occurrence of heart attack and helps to start the treatment much earlier. Testing MMP inhibitors on blood samples will help cardiologists to specify the treatments in a more sophisticated way. For both men and women, coronary artery disease is the leading cause of death in Europe in spite of the fact that 80% of premature heart diseases are preventable. Earlier and better diagnosis of cardiac ischemia and reperfusion injury is crucial for reducing the number of deaths connected to cardiovascular diseases. Our diagnostic marker combination has been tested already in a pre-clinical study and the results were published in the European Journal of Clinical Investigation. A Phase 2 project would aim a clinical trial and the Phase 1 feasibility study would prepare it by performing a market research including a market launch strategy and cost analysis, as well as it would prepare the clinical study documentation and the patenting process.

The EVEREST project is a pioneering consortium in Extracellular Vesicle (EVs) research, bringing together 22 institutions from 11 countries, including 3 UK partners. This interdisciplinary consortium is distinguished by an ambitious plan for over 285 months of staff exchanges, engaging at least 81 fellows. Research-Innovation programme is structured into four pivotal work packages: 1. Combining Expertise and Resources for Advancing Standardised Characterisation and Isolation of EVs: Focused on harmonizing methods for EV isolation across diverse tissues and samples, enhancing the consistency and reliability of EV research. 2. Jointly Investigating EVs in Health or Disease, and Enhancing Translational Biomarker Discovery: Concentrated on exploring the roles of EVs in various health conditions and diseases, with a particular emphasis on identifying and validating new biomarkers for diagnostic and prognostic applications. 3. Uniting Capacities, Advancing EV-Based Therapeutics or Drug Delivery: Dedicated to developing innovative EV-based treatments and drug delivery mechanisms, targeting key health challenges like cancer and cardiovascular diseases. 4. Catalysing commercial development of EV-based technologies: Aiming to bridge the gap between research and practical application, this work package focuses on preparing EV-based solutions for large-scale production and market introduction. At its core, EVEREST is committed to significantly enhancing the capabilities of participating institutions and fostering career advancement for involved fellows. By positioning EVs as critical tools for biomarker discovery and therapeutic applications, the project aims to make substantial contributions to personalized medicine and improved health outcomes, ultimately translating research breakthroughs into clinical practice.