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From: [log in to unmask]
<[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Freitag, 22. Jänner 1999 18:46
Dear Mr Shaw,
Thank you for your e-mail of 14 December 1998 to our webmaster.
I hope the following information will be of interest.
Investigating therapies for AIDS, Multiple Sclerosis, and Parkinson_s
disease,
research into TSE,and much more:
the Commission approves 125 biomedicine research projects
The fight against AIDS and HIV must be waged on many fronts: a vaccine
against the virus, and therapies for the syndrome itself and the many
opportunistic diseases that accompany it. In a recent Commission decision,
125
research projects tackling these and other issues, were allocated funding of
ECU
84.5 million. The projects were proposed by Mme Edith CRESSON, Commissioner
responsible for research, education and training, following the
evaluation
of the second call for proposals of the Commission_s Biomedicine and Health
research programme (part of the Fourth Framework Programme for RTD). Other
project areas include transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSE),
therapeutic approaches to multiple sclerosis and Parkinson_s disease,
pharmaceutical research which could lead to in vitro tests replacing the use
of
laboratory animals, research into genetic susceptibility to
neuro-degenerative
and psychiatric disorders (such as multiple
sclerosis and autism), investigation of novel approaches to re-building
muscle
by improving myoblast transplant techniques, and a series of specific
projects
for participation in the worldwide Human Genome Programme.
The second call covered research in the fields of pharmaceuticals,
biomedical engineering, the brain, AIDS and other infectious diseases, and
the
human genome. A total of 769 proposals were submitted, involving over 5000
organizations, and requesting ECU 824.8 million. Of these, 120
research and 5 demonstration proposals were selected for EC funding
totalling ECU 87.45 million. See details of some of the most interesting
project
areas.
Growth in industrial participation
The industrial participation in this call was generally high (396
industrial participants spread over 769 applications), particularly in the
areas
of
Pharmaceuticals Research, where there are 15 companies participating in
the
9 approved projects, and Biomedical Engineering, where there are 22
industrial participants amongst the 19 proposals to be funded.
As regards demonstration projects (Area 8.2), all five projects to be
funded include industrial participants, with large pharmaceuticals companies
active
in the vaccine field, a consortium of chemical companies, and small and
medium sized companies, notably in the biotechnology field.
To a lesser degree, industrial involvement can also be seen in projects
aimed at improving therapy and diagnostics in disease-specific areas such as
cancer, cardiovascular disease, AIDS and Human Genome research (notably
gene therapy).
This situation confirms the rising trend of industrial participation,
particularly by health care providers, in Biomedical and Health Research,
already seen
in the first call.
For further information, please contact:
Dr Shahid Baig
Principal Scientific Officer, DG XII-E-4
Fax +32.2.29.55365
E-mail: [log in to unmask]
Dr Viviane Thévenin
Scientific Officer, DG XII-E-4
Fax +32.2.29.55365
E-mail: [log in to unmask]
Mr Stephen Gosden
Press and Information Officer, DG XII
Fax: +32.2.29.58220
E-mail: [log in to unmask]
