Trinity in International Research Collaboration with Brazil to Fight Inflammatory Disorders Receives €3 m in EU FP7 Funding

Posted on: 01 February 2012

An international research project including Trinity College Dublin scientists has been granted €3m under the EU FP7 programme to collaborate with Brazil in the fight against inflammatory disorders.  Scientists from nine research institutions and universities in Europe, and three in Brazil, will collaborate in this new programme ‘Targeting novel mechanisms of resolution in inflammation (TIMER)’.

Trinity’s Professor of Biochemistry, Luke O’Neill of the School of Biochemistry and Immunology will study the effects of plant-derived anti-inflammatory agents collected from the Amazon rain forest on innate immune processes important for such diseases as Type 2 diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis.

“This is a very exciting collaborative project between laboratories in Europe and Brazil.  It will involve the testing of compounds derived from Brazilian tropical plants for anti-inflammatory properties.  These plants have been identified by Brazilian scientists with a  knowledge of herbal remedies used by native peoples in the Amazon and are showing promise for inflammatory diseases” commented Professor O’Neill.

This research programme covers a wide range of aspects; from the discovery of novel natural compounds and basic research to clinical trials.

The Brazilian scientists have access to natural compounds that act on receptors which modulate inflammation. The translation to the clinic setting of this research combined with new research generated in the TIMER project aims to have a direct impact on public health.

About TIMER:
Participants
Fondazione Humanitas per la Ricerca, Italy
Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Brazil
Universidade of Sao Paulo, Brazil
Fundacao Oswaldo Cruz, Brazil
Fondazione per l’Istituto di Ricerca in Biomedicina, Switzerland
University of Glasgow, United Kingdom
Telormedix SA, Switzerland
Trinity College Dublin
Merck Serono SA, Switzerland
ALTA Ricerca e Sviluppo in Biotecnologie S.r.l.u., Italy