IDF SHARID - Toscana Life Sciences

IDF SHARID – “Innovative Devices For SHAping the RIsk of Diabetes”

General aspects
IDF SHARID predicts, for its realisation, a total expense of 9,2 millions Euros and has the ambitious aim to conceptually allow the molecular prediction of diabetes type 2 and the response or resistance to molecular targeting interventions through the development of an innovative LOC (lab on chip) able to reveal important epigenotypes and rare genetic variations. This aim is coherent with the MIUR call purposes for which the Project gained the 4th position in the national ranking in the “Health” Area and was allowed to obtain the financial facilitations provided by the national call. IDF SHARID is focused on the application of key technologies in the bioinformatics, biomedical, biotechnological field and their subsector, through which aims at developing innovative therapy instruments based on: prediction approaches and personalised medicine; development of new molecules and low cost innovative medical devices; identification of new diagnostic approaches for important human diseases in order to support an active and healthy ageing.

Research activities
Different studies so far proved that some epigenotypes present a predictive power much stronger than that of all genetic variants identified sofar, while the epigenetic profiles associated to the main risk factors will be identified and interpreted, as proposed by IDF SHARID, we will be able to employ biomarkers much more useful than the existing ones. The availability of LOC (lab on Chips), high performance integrated systems, allowed by the nanotechnologies development and able to produce epigenetic proliferations, will revolutionise not only the early diagnosis but also the current diabetes treatment. Through the identification of well validated markers, these innovative devices will permit the molecular prediction of diabetes and its co-morbidity. LOC have in fact the potential to increase the prediction through the actual evaluation of questionnaires filled in ambulatory to the molecular medicine through a wide range of applications from the responsivity determination to the physical activity to the subjective prediction of diabetes. By the way, they were not employed in the diabetic field, yet. Furthermore, the metagenomic analysis of intestinal microbiome and the associations among specific microbiota modifications and epigenetic and metabolic markers studied through LOC could not only provide further diabetes markers but also be able to isolate new protective intestinal microorganism and their metabolites (example Akkermansia muciniphila), facilitating the development of new drugs for diabetes.

Leader Subject:
Campania Bioscience Technology Cluster

Partnership:
University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli (UNICAMPANIA)
University of Catania (UNICT)
Meccatronica Cluster (as acting subject University of Bari Aldo Moro, UNIBA)
Toscana Life Sciences (as acting subject University of Siena, UNISI)
SCAI Finance S.r.l.
TME S.r.l.