The RECAGE project will tackle one of the most challenging problem arising during the clinical course of dementia: the so-called Behavioural and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia (BPSD). The current state-of-the-art of the treatment of these symptoms is still unsatisfactory and there are many unmet needs in this area. The major objective of the project will be to assess the effectiveness of an intervention, the special medical care unit for patients with BPSD (SCU-B), that, albeit already implemented in some European countries, is not widespread and has not been sufficiently studied so far, although it seems to be promising for its short-term efficacy (alleviating BPSD and improving quality of life of PwD) and possibly for its long term efficacy. In order to achieve this goal, RECAGE will proceed in three steps: 1) A prospective cohort study, comparing the activity of the centres endowed with a typical SCU-B with that of the other participating centres lacking this facility; the efficacy and the cost-effectiveness of the proposed intervention will be tested in the prospective study. The expected benefits are socially appreciable: improving quality of life of persons with dementia, lessening caregivers' burden, possibly delaying institutionalisation 2) A conference aiming at adapting the SCU-B model in accordance with the results of the cohort study, not only regarding its main endpoints, but also comparing the experience and the different ways of operating of the participating centres and the different socio-political context in which they act 3) A plan for scaling up the intervention in the countries who take part in the study, but where SCU-Bs are absent or sporadic as Italy and Greece.

Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder and is characterized in its advanced stages by motor and non-motor complications causing progressive loss of autonomy in activities of daily living, poor quality of life, marked caregiver distress, and high utilization of medical services. Similar to cancer patients, albeit for much longer duration, PD patients have considerable (and mounting) unmet physical, psychosocial and spiritual needs, and experience great problems with continuity of care. The overall ambition of PD_Pal is to validate a new model of palliative care which would be easily integrated with traditional management when disability limits mobility and independence. PD_Pal will provide an added layer of support to patients, their loved ones, and treating clinicians. PD_Pal randomised controlled trial will provide evidence on the effectiveness of specialized, multidisciplinary, outpatient palliative care intervention (Advance Care Planning) in improving family satisfaction, symptom management and quality of life. PD_Pal will also further prove the feasibility and economic sustainability of this approach by the active involvement of patients lay associations as well relevant medical societies. PD_Pal team includes leading experts in both neurology and palliative care with key-roles in both national and international PD working groups. PD_Pal will develop a new set of evidence-based Guidelines and a Massive Online Course (MOOC) for Palliative Care in PD involving in the process experts from the European Association for Palliative Care, the European Academy of Neurology and the Movement Disorders Society. Thus, PD_Pal is best positioned to transfer this knowledge to all European countries and ensure that “PD_Pal Guidelines” will translate into best practice. The PD_Pal MOOC “Best Care for People with Late Stage Parkinson” will be integrated into the WHO supported interdisciplinary post-graduate palliative care curriculum.

PALLIAKID is an interdisciplinary project aiming to evaluate the feasibility, effectiveness, and cost-effectiveness of novel interventions for children, adolescents and young people (AYA) with palliative and end-of--life care needs in different healthcare systems across Europe, with a focus on those factors that influences the active patients' and family caregivers' engagement. PALLIAKID responds to several needs or gaps identified by the consortium clinical partners, grouped into three cornerstones of paediatric palliative care: 1) Early identification of children and AYAs with palliative and end-of-life care needs, 2) Comprehensive assessment of children and their family caregivers' needs, 3) A comprehensive, personalised, interdisciplinary care plan including Advance Care Planning. The proposed solution entails three main results: PALLIAKID Eary Detection System, PALLIAKID intervention (Needs assessment, Advance Care Planning and Patient Journey digital platform); and PALLIAKID XR-based capacity-building program for professionals. In addition, the project will develop policy recommendations, guidelines and standards for patient-centred communication, together with a scale-up strategy to guarantee the project result's’ sustainability and impact. In this sense, PALLIAKID aims to reduce taboos and misunderstandings of paediatric palliative care with its activities and the planned Public Engagement Strategy. The consortium is composed of 19 entities with the needed and complementary expertise and knowledge to respond to the proposed objectives, including the triad perspective (child-family-professional): five clinical sites to co-design and test the PALLIAKID solutions, two European networks, four experts in the needs assessment and ACP tools to be adapted (HexCom and IMPACT), three technological partners, one expert in evaluation, three experts in SSH and one expert in data and ethical issues.

The aim of InSilc is to develop an in-silico clinical trial (ISCT) platform for designing, developing and assessing drug-eluting bioresorbable vascular scaffolds (BVS), by building on the comprehensive biological and biomedical knowledge and advanced modelling approaches to simulate their implantation performance in the individual cardiovascular physiology. The InSilc platform is based on the extension of existing multidisciplinary and multiscale models for simulating the drug-eluting BVS mechanical behaviour, the deployment and degradation, the fluid dynamics in the micro- and macroscale, and the myocardial perfusion, for predicting its interaction with the vascular wall in the short- and medium/long term. InSilc goes beyond the design and development of ISCT and lays on the generation of in-silico models for obtaining quick and informed answers to several “What if” scenarios. “Virtual” patients would be given a “virtual” drug-eluting BVS, for observing the performance of the scaffold, assess and quantify the intended effect, with a deeper understanding than normal trials can provide. By integrating the information obtained from different in-silico predictive models, InSilc will: (i) assist in the development, assessment and optimization of the drug-eluting BVS and deliver accurate and reliable information to the Stent Biomedical Industry, (ii) assist the interventional Cardiologists in improving the surgical process of drug-eluting BVS implantation, support them in the clinical assessment and reduce the complications of suboptimal scaffold performance. By introducing computer simulations for establishing the safety and efficacy of drug-eluting BVS, InSilc aims to lower development costs and shorten time-to-market, reduce, refine, and partially replace human clinical trials through a more effective human clinical trials design, reduce the need for animal testing and result in a significant reduction of the associated direct and indirect costs.