SECRET consortium comprises the world-leading institutes in the domain of immunology, stem cell-derived paracrine biology, intercellular communication and regenerative medicine
Comprised of 6 Beneficiaries and 5 Associated Partners.
Beneficiaries
Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore (UCSC) – Coordinator
UCSC, includes 4 campuses, 12 faculties, 43 three-year major tracks, 55 graduate level degrees, 147 master tracks, 21 PhD Courses and 3 PhD Double Degrees. The School of Medicine in Rome is a world-class training ground for future leaders in medical research and practice – including every modern medical discipline as well as some of the most respected medical scholars all over the world –public health, and biomedical science. It delivers 19 undergraduate courses and 1 Medicine and Surgery major track course delivered fully in English. It offers 5 PhD Courses in Health Systems and Service Research, Experimental and Translational Medicine, Neuroscience, Cellular and Molecular Clinical Research, Basic Biomedical Sciences and Public Health, Sciences of Nutrition, Metabolism, Aging and Gender Pathologies, Oncological Sciences.
Università degli Studi di Genova (UniGe)
UniGe was founded in 1933 but its history can be traced back to the 14th century. It is organized in 22 departments, 5 schools, 13 interuniversity research centers and 1 center of excellence. UniGe offers 132 Bachelor and Master courses, 28 PhD Courses divided into 90 curricula, 44 specialization schools, 27 I and II level University Masters, 5 Libraries. The Dept. of Experimental Medicine (DIMES) in UniGe hosts 3 multidisciplinary PhD Programs: one in Experimental Medicine, one in Clinical and Experimental Immunology and one in Biotechnology for Translational Medicine. UniGe has also synergic collaboration with many national research organizations, innovative SMEs and industries which are closely located and operate worldwide, such as the Italian Institute of Technology (IIT) and the National Research Council (Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche - CNR).
Mimetas BV (MIM)
MIMETAS (Leiden, The Netherlands) is a global leader in human-relevant disease models for drug discovery and development. Based on its proprietary OrganoPlate® platform, MIMETAS has developed a broad spectrum of disease assays with unrivalled physiological comprehensiveness. The company deploys its disease models in partnerships with the global top-50 pharmaceutical industry to find and develop first-in-class targets and compounds. Our clients are pharmaceutical companies and academic institutes who strive to discover new and better treatments for patients. We serve them with our OrganoPlate products and associated instruments and services. Our team consists of a hundred people composed of scientists, engineers, back office and commercial people. MIMETAS was founded in 2013 in Leiden, the Netherlands, and has grown into a multinational company with operations in Europe, Asia, and the USA. To learn more about MIMETAS's disease modeling capabilities and its OrganoPlate® platform, please visit our website.
Universitätsklinikum Essen (UKEssen)
UKEssen is the largest university hospital for first-rate medical services in the Ruhr region, which combines patient treatment, research and education. Prof. Dr. Bernd Giebel runs a research group at the Institute for Transfusion Medicine that focuses on: i) human hematopoietic stem cell biology and ii) the therapeutic potential of mesenchymal stem/stromal cell-derived EVs. He has a strong track record in the purification, characterisation and therapeutic activity of EVs. Due to the overall increasing interest in EV biology, the group is involved in several projects on the campus and is actively cooperating with different German and international groups. The Department of Neurology has a dedicated Chair for Vascular Neurology, Dementia and Ageing held by Prof. Dr. Dirk M. Hermann. Prof. Hermann’s research strategies focus on neurorestorative treatments in the ischemic stroke recovery phase, with a special focus on cell-based and particularly EV-based treatment strategies promoting microvascular remodelling and neuronal plasticity in the ischemic brain. Together with Prof. Giebel, Prof. Hermann has characterized effects of MSC-derived EVs, showing their anti-inflammatory, proangiogenic and neuronal survival promoting potential. Particular focus of these works is on neuroprotective effects of EVs in the aged ischemic brain and brain exhibiting vascular risk factors. Together with Prof. Giebel, Prof. Hermann also contributed to position papers. Prof. Giebel and Prof. Hermann also have extensive teaching experience in the Medical and Natural Sciences Faculties of their University.
Universiteit Antwerpen (UAntwerp)
UAntwerp is a publicly funded, fully accredited Belgian university. It is characterised by high standards in education, international competitive research and entrepreneurial approach. It was founded in 2003 after the merger of three smaller universities, with roots dating back to 1852. UAntwerp is a founding member of the Young Universities for the Future of Europe (YUFE) alliance, selected in the first European Universities Initiative call (2019). It has ca. 1800 PhD students, over 670 tenured professors, over 330 assistants and over 3200 researcher and education staff members, thereby employing over 85 different nationalities. It produces over 3600 scientific publications per year. UAntwerp has an excellent track record as to the participation in EU framework research and innovation programmes: It has acquired 189 grants under Horizon 2020 (2014-2020) and 50 Horizon Europe (2021-2027) grants up until September 2022. UAntwerp ranks 20th in the “QS Top 50 Under 50 2021” and has been awarded the “HR Excellence in Research” quality label by the European Commission. The Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences (FGGW) is one of the nine faculties offering doctoral programs at UAntwerp. FGGW fosters collaboration in research, teaching and service across disciplines, including medicine, nursing & midwifery, epidemiology, physical therapy and rehabilitation sciences. Cooperation is also tight with other faculties, with the University Hospital of Antwerp (UZA) and with different stakeholders, to promote excellence in research and training and overall impact in society.
Universidade Do Minho (UMINHO)
The 3B’s Research Group from the University of Minho (UMINHO) is working on development of biomaterials based on natural polymers, their processing by non-conventional methods and their applications in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. It has been also exploiting the use of supramolecular systems for biomedical applications, including the use of peptides and carbohydrate amphiphiles as building blocks of nanofibers and hydrogels that are able to mimic the extracellular space of several human tissues. The Group activities also include stem cell research: differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells from various sources (adipose tissue, bone marrow, etc.) and origins (human, goat, rat) towards different lineages. The 3B’s team (over 150 members, 15 academic/research staff) is composed by researchers with multidisciplinary backgrounds (e.g., chemistry, physics, biology, medicine, etc.). Within 3B’s there are 3 ongoing ERC grants, including 2 Consolidators and 1 Starting.
Associated Partners
Innovation Acta Srl (INN-ACTA)
INN-ACTA is a company specialized in managing H2020 and HE project proposals and actions. INN-ACTA Grants Managers are highly qualified and have acquired a renowned competence in grants management and dissemination activities from over 20-year experience in EU-funded projects, including Collaborative Projects in Health Programmes, Coordination and Supporting Actions, IMI projects, Marie Curie Actions. INN-ACTA’s expertise ranges from grants management to dissemination activities (e.g. printed materials, flyers, brochures, newsletters, project websites, videos), training activities, organization of meetings, conferences, workshops and Project events. INN-ACTA will be involved in training and management activities.
Istituto Cardiocentro Ticino (ICCT)
Cardiocentro Ticino Institute (ICCT) is a specialized center for cardiac diseases, housing a cardiology and cardiac surgery unit. Engaged in education and research, ICCT focuses on cardiovascular engineering, biology, imaging, and computational sciences. Affiliated with the University of Zurich and Università Svizzera Italiana, ICCT collaborates with UniGe on in vitro functional assays for human cardiomyocytes and stress-induced aging-related cardiac injury models. This partnership extends beyond the project, and ICCT will host SECRET DCs for secondment periods. Globally recognized, ICCT specializes in isolating and characterizing cardiac extracellular vesicles (EV) for cell free cardioprotection, particularly using EV derived from cardiac progenitor cells. The institute's laboratories encompass key areas, including cell biology, molecular biology, histology, GMP facility, and biobanking, each led by expert staff. ICCT is affiliated with the University of Zurich, recognized as a Research Center under the Swiss Federal Act on the Promotion of Research and Innovation (RIPA), and is a partner institute of the Faculty of Biomedical Sciences at Università della Svizzera italiana.
Academisch Medisch Centrum bij de Universiteit Van Amsterdam (UMC)
The Academic Medical Center (AMC) is the university hospital affiliated with the University of Amsterdam. It is one of the largest and leading hospitals in the Netherlands, and it consistently ranks among the top 50 medical schools in the world. Together with VU Medical Center, AMC is a part of Amsterdam University Medical Center (AUMC). This leading medical center combines complex, high-quality patient care, innovative scientific research, and the education of the next generation of health care professionals. The Department of Medical Biology aims to understand the pathophysiology of the cardiovascular system, with a strong focus on translation towards clinical application. AMC will enrol DC5 in its doctoral programme and will host DCs for secondments.
Center for Advanced Studies and Technology (CAST), University G. d'Annunzio
CAST and specifically the LAb. of Analytic Biochemistry and Proteomics (Ud'A) is a team with proven experience in the field of omics approaches based on mass spectrometry. Specifically, several applications of shotgun proteomics and targeted and untargeted metabolomics have been carried out. These approaches have already been applied to the study of biological fluids, cellular models, extracellular vesicles and secretomes for the study of pathologies with complex etiopathogenesis such as multiple sclerosis, colorectal cancer, hereditary metabolic diseases.
Fondazione Poliambulanza (Centro di Ricerca Eugenia Menni – CREM)
CREM has 20 years of experience for isolation and characterization of placental cells and is internationally recognized for its expertise in the field of perinatal cells and their secretome, and their applications in regenerative medicine. CREM’s laboratories cover four main areas: cell biology, molecular biology, histology, and biobanking, and each core facility is led by expert staff. CREM has a certified Quality Management System in accordance with the requirements of the UNI EN ISO 9001:2015 standard, for the category of “Research Center for Biomedical field and for Regenerative Medicine”.