Coordinated by Prof. Speicher from the Medical University of Graz researchers from 8 academic institutions and 3 small and medium enterprises (SME) from Austria, France, Germany, Italy and the UK form the consortium. These are:
The Institute of Human Genetics at the Medical University of Graz (MUG) has at present a staff of 46 involved in all aspects of Human Genetics. It provides services for the entire region of Styria. The institute has a large genetic counseling service covering the entire pre- and postnatal field. In addition, special services are provided for malignant diseases such as leukemia and inherited tumor syndromes. The institute has an outstanding infrastructure including all equipment needed for advanced diagnostic and state-of-the-art research purposes. The coordinator of this project is chair of the Institute of Human Genetics. Research of this beneficiary has focused on advanced single cell technologies (3D-FISH and single cell CGH) and array-technologies for identification of copy number changes, gene expression analyses, tumor genetics, and metastasis.
IFOM Foundation is a Molecular Oncology research institute, located in the IEO (European Institute of Oncology)-IFOM Campus in Milan, Italy. This Campus accommodates two research institutes (IFOM and IEO), SEMM (European School of Molecular Medicine), the PhD school of the Campus, and a consortium providing services to scientists inside and outside the campus, that also fosters the growth of two biotech companies, with a total number of 31 independent academic research groups and a staff of 500 persons. In addition to the “bench-technology”, IFOM offers state-of-the-art technologies which include: DNA sequencing, real-time PCR, array CGH, SNPs analysis and affymetrix expression arrays; advanced bioinformatics analyses; centralized tissue culture and cell line database; fluorescence, confocal, time-lapse, FRET and TIRFM microscopy and image analysis; molecular pathology-based screenings of a large collection of archival material.
The Istituto Superiore di Sanità (ISS) is the leading technical and scientific public body of the Italian National Health Service. Its activities include research, control, training and consultation in the interest of public health protection.
The Institute of Tumour Biology (ITB) was founded in 2002 as part of the Medical School of the University of Hamburg (University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf). As it has a strong experimental background in various aspects of translational tumour biology (in particular micrometastasis research), adequately trained scientists, and a state-of-the art infrastructure, it provides an excellent interdisciplinary, international environment for conducting translational and basic research in the areas of minimal residual cancer.
The Cordeliers Research Center (CRC) was created in January 2007. It regroups INSERM research units, Paris 5 University and Paris 6 University and is linked to several hospitals in Paris (HEGP, Hôtel-Dieu, Pitié-Salpêtrière). The CRC is one of the largest biology research centers in Paris. It is composed of 480 research scientists, professors, engineers, doctoral fellows and students in 20 research teams. The CRC offers a broad range of study programs in medical and scientific branches.
ORIDIS Biomed - a specialist in tissue based cancer research - is a Contract Research Organisation founded in 2001 as a spin-off from the Medical University of Graz. A principal motivation for founding ORIDIS Biomed was to realize the research potential and value of a huge human tissue collection housed at the Institute of Pathology of Graz University. ORIDIS Biomed has established genomics and proteomics platforms for the identification and characterization of genes and gene products specifically deregulated, amplified or mutated in human disease. Medical expertise is coupled with the high information content of the tissue samples to enable rapid evaluation of the medical relevance of deregulated, amplified, and mutated gene products, i.e. how likely it is that the gene product is important for the disease and that it may be a useful (predictive) biomarker or target for therapeutic intervention. ORIDIS Biomed covers a portfolio of national and international patents.
mosaiques diagnostics GmbH has developed and is the leading specialist in clinical proteome and CE/MS analysis. Currently it provides the best technology available for identifying and applying disease-specific polypeptide biomarkers from body fluids towards effective diagnostic and therapeutic applications. mosaiques has published over 75 articles in peer-reviewed journals on its proprietary technology and has filed over 40 patent applications, further underlining the leading role of this European SME. Within GENINCA, mosaiques analyses samples of body fluids (urine, plasma, etc.) using the CE/MS technology, compares the data with the datasets in its unique and proprietary database, and aims at defining biomarkers.
biolution specialises in communication and project management services for the life sciences. The company's know-how focuses on the clear and efficient transport of complex messages and combines a remarkable level of proficiency in project management, science, graphics, and new media. biolution has acquired relevant expertise in the support of consortia of both FP6 and FP7 funded projects providing efficient solutions for administration and dissemination strategies, for knowledge management, web platforms, science communication, and graphic design.
Prof. Dr. med. K. Lenhard Rudolph is the director of the newly founded “Institute of Molecular Medicine” and the “Max-Planck-Research Group on Stem Cell Aging” at Ulm University. For GENINCA he cooperates with the Departments of Gastroenterology at Ulm University (Prof. Adler), the Medical School of Hannover (Prof. Manns) and Mainz University (Chairman: Prof. Galle; Leader of the Endoscopy unit in Mainz and coapplicant in this proposal: Prof. Neurath). All three Departments are among the largest University Departments for Gastroenterology in Germany; for this study, they will provide their patients’ collectives on telomere length in liver biopsies and in colonic epithelial biopsies.
As part of the University of Oxford, the Molecular and Population Genetics group (Prof. Ian Tomlinson) provides an environment with close links to clinical material and patient samples. The group is based in the Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics, with excellent resources for high-throughput analysis and unrivalled biostatistical support. Oxford is one of the top-ranking research Universities in the UK, with several groups working in the cancer field. Prof. Tomlinson’s collaboration with Professor Mohammad Ilyas, Head of Histopathology at the University Hospitals in Nottingham, is central to the GENINCA project, given Prof. Ilyas’s expertise in supplying and characterizing tumour samples and analyzing them using immunohistochemistry.
The University of Erlangen-Nuremberg is one of Germany’s largest universities. “Advance through Networks”, the mission statement it has adopted, has been inspired by the lively dialogue between subjects and faculties that typifies the University and that has given rise to an almost unique range of interdisciplinary courses. The main focus in research and teaching is to be found at the interface between Natural Sciences, Engineering and Medicine in close cooperation with the classical university disciplines of Law, Theology, and the Humanities. Economics, Social, and Educational Sciences complete the range of subjects offered.