DFM Platform
DFM Funding Monitor

Towards the clinical implementation of TREM2 Microglia Engineering for treating DementiaSbroad

TREM2MEDS · Horizon Europe grant · 2024-04-01–2027-03-31

EC contribution

€2,499,721

Total cost

€2,499,721

Beneficiaries

4
About the data

Source: CORDIS (official EU open data), Horizon Europe. Framework HORIZON · call HORIZON-EIC-2023-TRANSITION-01 · scheme HORIZON-EIC · topic HORIZON-EIC-2023-TRANSITIONOPEN-01. CORDIS record →

Objective

TREM2MEDS emerges from the ERC PoC 2022 project TREM2μENGINES (Grant agreement ID: 101069395), which validated the efficacy of a novel treatment for Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) and Nasu-Hakola Disease (NHD) in murine models. A relevant proportion of AD cases and all forms of NHD are caused by pathogenic mutations in the TREM2 gene, which lead to microglia dysfunction contributing to and/or causing the onset and manifestations of AD and NHD. TREM2MEDS approach involves the transplantation of hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSPCs) engineered by lentiviral vectors (LVs) to express robust levels of the Triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 2 (TREM2) in their central nervous system (CNS) myeloid/microglial progeny. The engineered cells have shown the ability to reduce and prevent Aβ accumulation, mitigate neuroinflammation and restore physiological scavenging functions in the diseased CNS, benefiting AD and NHD in robust animal models. In TREM2MEDS, we will exploit these findings for transition of the approach from TRL 4 to TRL 5/6 by generating IMPD-enabling data and packages that will allow launching, at project completion, a first-in-human Phase I clinical trial of TREM2-HSPC gene therapy in AD & NHD patients carrying TREM2 hypofunctional variants. The restoration of TREM2 function in microglia, by intervening on key mechanisms contributing to neurodegeneration, has the potential to overcome the limited efficacy of current treatments for AD, which only exert symptomatic but not curative effects. Through this work we will thus bring to clinical testing an approach intended to become the benchmark in the treatment of AD and NHD, and possibly other dementias.

Beneficiaries (4)

OrganisationCountryRoleEC contributionSME
UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI PADOVA IT coordinator €1,732,131
USTAV MOLEKULARNI GENETIKY AV CR V.V.I. CZ participant €499,415
INSTITUT NATIONAL DE LA SANTE ET DE LA RECHERCHE MEDICALE FR participant €268,175
UNISMART - FONDAZIONE UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI PADOVA IT thirdParty €0

Get the EU Defence Funding Calendar — free

The full calendar of open EU defence and dual-use funding calls, sorted by deadline, updated nightly. Delivered with DFM Analysis, our weekly briefing on who is funding what in European defence.

We store your email to send the calendar and the weekly DFM Analysis briefing. Nothing else. Unsubscribe anytime.

Or browse all open defence & dual-use calls on the funding calendar →

Defence Finance Monitor is an analytical and informational product. Grant data is official CORDIS; the paid Annual Professional subscription is handled on DFM Analysis.

DFM Analysis, our free weekly newsletter, tracks the EU defence-funding programmes, calls and decisions behind this page. Subscribe free →