Identifying the specific genetic mutations that cause cancer has always been a challenge. The EU-funded NONCODRIVERS project offers a solution with a pioneering approach that applies machine learning based modelling to tumour data. This could lead to more personalised therapies that save the lives of thousands of citizens every year.
Materials used in medical implants such as pacemakers and insulin pumps can be hazardous to the body. The EU-funded BISON project seeks an alternative in self-assembling peptide building blocks. These biological electronics offer citizens safer implants that could be powered by the body itself.
Ancient European hunter-gatherers have been characterised as mainly meat eaters. Yet the EU-funded HIDDEN FOODS project unearthed clear evidence that they in fact routinely ate plant-based foods. This suggests that alongside protein and fat, glucose was potentially key to the survival of the ancestors of European citizens.
The global economy is dominated by multinational corporations whose sheer complexity is often incomprehensible even to journalists and lawmakers. A pioneering mapping exercise by the EU-funded CORPLINK project has helped to explain how, and why, these corporations have become so complex. This approach could offer citizens greater transparency of modern capitalist systems.
The many microscopic organisms, or microbiome, that live in our gut play a big part in keeping us healthy, yet a breakdown in communication between them and the rest of the body can badly affect our health. The EU-funded META-BIOME project set out to understand the causes of this miscommunication. To understand this could allow for new treatments against many diseases, benefiting all citizens.
The EU-funded POTENT project has been developing a new type of drug delivery system for glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer. It can considerably improve treatment outcomes for patients and increase their life expectancy. Clinical trials could start in 2 to 4 years, a step closer to making the system available for the patients that could most benefit from it.
Drug assessment for potential negative effects on patients’ hearts is a cost-intensive task, and it still occasionally fails to deliver on its promise. The EU-funded MAREP project has created a new laser-based technology that can streamline the drug development process. At the same time, it enhances patient safety which is a big plus for all citizens.
The EU-funded DEBUNKER project has been studying the mechanisms creating, reinforcing and correcting misperceptions. Early findings provide a glimmer of hope for those willing to right the wrongs of conspiracy theories, misinformation and fake news. These findings offer hope that our societies can become less polarised and divided and more transparent, ultimately benefiting all citizens.
Even though Neanderthals once dominated Eurasia, we know very little about how they lived and why they went extinct. But a new archaeological method developed by the EU-funded PALEOCHAR project could change that. As a result, the project brings us valuable information and a more complete picture of the Neanderthal world, increasing our knowledge of life on Earth many thousands of years ago.
The ancient Egyptians left behind a plethora of papyri containing valuable written information but most of these have remained unpublished and unstudied. The EU-funded ELEPHANTINE project has created a large database and a new software solution that could soon change this. This could allow for a much better understanding of some of the world’s most fascinating ancient civilisations.
