JPND

The EU Joint Programme – Neurodegenerative Disease Research (JPND) initiative has announced an €18 million transnational call for multinational research on novel imaging and brain stimulation methods and technologies for neurodegenerative diseases.

With neurodegenerative diseases on the rise and strongly linked to age, as many as 47 million people worldwide are estimated to be suffering from Alzheimer’s and related disorders today. This figure is expected to double every 20 years as the population ages. JPND was established in order to better coordinate research efforts across countries and disciplines to find causes more rapidly, develop cures and identify better ways to care for people with neurodegenerative diseases.

In recent years, major increases in the range and power of technologies across the basic, clinical and patient-centered domains of JPND have been seen. These include the use of imaging and analysis technologies, from Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) to Position Emission Tomography (PET) to Molecular Imaging at both a molecular and a whole body imaging level, and the use of brain stimulation techniques such as Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS), Neuromodulation and Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS). Whilst techniques as such help to better understand, treat or diagnose neurodegenerative diseases, there is nevertheless a need to assess the potential of these approaches to deliver new and better treatment options for these debilitating diseases.

In this context, JPND is inviting multinational research teams to submit proposals for ambitious, innovative, multinational and multidisciplinary collaborative research projects aimed at the development of novel and the advanced use of existing cutting-edge imaging and brain stimulation technologies related to neurodegenerative diseases.

Professor Philippe Amouyel, University of Lille (France) and Chair of the JPND Management Board says: "The incredible progresses of brain imaging and brain stimulation during the last ten years, thanks to the development of new technologies, bioinformatics and artificial intelligence, offer new opportunities to better diagnose and alleviate the consequences of neurodegenerative diseases. For its 2020 transnational call, JPND has decided to support ambitious and innovative research projects that will take stock of these new approaches in a trans-disciplinary context. We hope that this highly competitive call will allow us to assess the potential of these approaches to deliver new and better treatment options.”

Proposals submitted under this call must focus on one or several of the following neurodegenerative diseases: Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, Parkinson’s disease and PD-related disorders, Prion diseases, Motor neuron diseases, Spinocerebellar ataxia (SCA), Huntington’s disease, Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA).

In addition, proposals must focus on one or several of the following research areas:

• Imaging technologies
• Development of novel imaging technologies
• Improvements to the application of existing cutting-edge imaging technologies
• Brain stimulation techniques
• New or improved applications of both invasive and non invasive brain stimulation techniques for the diagnosis and treatment of neurodegenerative diseases

Pre-proposals must be submitted no later than 15:00h C.E.T. on March 6, 2020.

For more information about the call, please click here .

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