Andalusia leads 3TR, a European research project to improve the response to treatment in autoimmune, inflammatory and allergic diseases
The researcher Marta Alarcón Riquelme, researcher of the group B-29 on Genetics of complex diseases of the ibs.GRANADA, coordinates this research initiative in which 69 academic and industrial institutions from 15 European countries participate and which is endowed with 80 million euros for 7 years.
3TR, the largest Immunology project of the Innovative Medicines Initiative 2 (IMI2) to improve the management of those who do not respond to therapy in seven diseases mediated by the immune system, will be coordinated from the GENYO center of Granada (Pfizer Center - University Granada - Junta de Andalucía de Genomics e Investigación Oncológica) and specifically by the ibs.GRANADA researcher Marta Alarcón Riquelme, an international reference in autoimmune pathologies.
This large-scale research initiative between the public and private sectors will provide new insights into response mechanisms and non-response to treatment through integrated and crossover analysis of advanced profiling technologies.
Autoimmune, inflammatory and allergic diseases are common chronic diseases that significantly affect the well-being of millions of people around the world and represent a significant strain on healthcare systems. Although there are different treatments available, the response and progression of the disease in individual patients remains unpredictable. At present, very little is still known about the molecular basis underlying these diseases. Thus, in order to better predict the response to treatment and potentially identify new biomarkers that lead to better patient management and personalized treatment, a deeper understanding of the cellular mechanisms that drive disease development is urgently needed.
3TR will study the diseases systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, inflammatory bowel disease (including ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease), asthma, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Despite their heterogeneity, recent studies have shown that at the molecular level certain patterns are shared by patients with these diseases, suggesting that they may also share pathways of response to treatment and disease progression.
Experts from different fields of medicine, new molecular technologies, systems biology and bioinformatics participate in this project together with specialists from innovative SMEs and leading pharmaceutical companies in the field.
An innovative approach: integrated and crossover disease analysis
“For the first time, the 3TR team will align and integrate analysis of autoimmune, allergic and inflammatory conditions to identify the relationship between longitudinal and microbial molecular profiles in blood cells and tissues, and disease pathways. In a unique approach, we will study the seven diseases in parallel and jointly”, explains Marta Alarcón-Riquelme, researcher at ibs.GRANADA, scientific coordinator of the 3TR and head of the Medical Genomics area of the GENYO center, managed by the Fundación Pública Andaluza Progreso y Health, entity of the Ministry of Health and Families.