The overall strategic objective (Ob) of the project Biomass4Synthons, is to place the Institutions – Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Lisbon (FFUL), Portugal and Institute of Organic Chemistry with Centre of Phytochemistry Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (IOCCP-BAS) Sofia, Bulgaria, and the two non-academic partners: Spartax Chemicals and Science and Technology Park (BLC3) belonging both to Widening Countries. Within the core of a European network of laboratories FFUL and IOCCP-BAS seeks to produce cutting-edge research and training in the field of synthetic organic chemistry for the use of more modern and environmentally friendly tools to achieve the efficient transformation of bio-renewable based starting materials leading to valuable synthetic building blocks. Over the last decade, FFUL and IOCCP-BAS have developed sustainable collaboration in various research topics. The success of this collaboration formed the basis for a join twinning application, which will aim to consolidate it, support its sustainability and foster its growth. Some specific ongoing examples of raw materials valorisation readily available in the two Widening Countries are furan based molecules derived from carbohydrates such as furfural and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural; oleuropein from olive leaves; abietic and dehydroabietic acid from gum rosin (also called colophony) as industrial product extracted from Pinus pinaster and lupanine alkaloid obtained from wastewater treatment of processed lupin beans. The proposed Consortium will enhance the scientific and technological capacity of linked institutions FFUL and IOCCP-BAS in key areas of synthetic organic chemistry such as process intensification by flow chemistry, photochemical and photocatalytic reactions, efficient metal catalysis C-H, C-C and C-heteroatom activation and domino reactions.

FOIE GRAS provides innovative training for 13 early stage researchers (ESRs) to answer two critical and unanswered questions: a) Is hepatic bioenergetic remodelling involved in NAFLD pathogenesis, and target for stratification or therapeutic/lifestyle interventions? and b) Is the disruption of the gut-liver axis involved in NAFLD progression? In Western Societies, there has been a recent surge of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Its progression to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is a leading risk factor for development of Type 2 diabetes, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. FOIE GRAS is first in supporting a cohesive and synergistic intersection of complementary and interdisciplinary training skills from academic and non-academic partners. FOIE GRAS combines strong scientific expertise with integrated and complementary training in translational research, clinical practice, technology commercialization, and public outreach, the combination of which in targeting NAFLD is lacking in the EU. Industrial partners CETICS, Mediagnost and Seahorse Biosciences provide experience on technology commercialization alongside scientific contributions while the affiliated patient organization will contribute with important training in societal awareness topics. ESRs training will utilize network-wide workshops and secondments to foster translation of basic research to clinical applications and SME creation. This diverse yet integrated skill set enhances the employment prospects of the trained researchers in both academic and non-academic sectors. Researchers will be endowed with excellent basic scientific knowledge and timely technology transfer know-how for developing novel therapeutic approaches for reversing the burden of NAFLD, thereby advancing both health and economic well-being of European citizens and approaching NAFLD research in the EU from its counterparts in the US and Asia.

ProteinConjugates is an inter- and multi-disciplinary network for the education of talented young scientists who will learn how to rationally design and construct the next generation of chemically-defined and innovative protein drug-conjugates for the targeted treatment of serious conditions such as cancer or rheumatoid arthritis. A complementary interaction between academy and pharmaceutical industry is at the centre of such a network, which involves 8 academic groups and 1 SME partner as beneficiaries, and 2 leading European industrial partner organizations that will host secondments while providing training. The combined expertise of the beneficiaries and industrial partners in synthesis of complex molecules, molecular dynamics, supramolecular self-assembly, site-selective chemical protein modification, protein/antibody engineering, cancer therapeutics and drug development together with the experience in project management and training of PhDs and Postdocs of the PIs, will create a multidisciplinary environment where 10 young researchers can foster their knowledge and skills while developing the most innovative ideas in the emerging fields of chemical site-selective protein modification and protein biotherapeutics. Exposure to the highly dynamic and multidisciplinary ProteinConjugates environment will contribute to the education of the next generation of leaders in the emerging field of protein biotherapeutics, a key area of research and drug development for Europe's competitiveness.

Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD), including its more pathologic consequence, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), is believed to be the most common chronic liver disease worldwide, affecting between 6 to 37% of the population. NAFLD is a so called ‘silent killer’, as clinical symptoms only surface at late stages of the disease, when it is no longer treatable: untreated, NAFLD/NASH can lead to cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma, culminating in liver failure. Currently the best method of diagnosing and staging the disease is liver biopsy, a costly, invasive and somewhat risky procedure, not to mention unfit for routine assessment. Besides, no therapeutic consensus exists for NAFLD/NASH treatment. mtFOIE GRAS (Foie Gras being French for "fat liver") proposes to address the pressing need for non-invasive, accurate, rapid assessment of NAFLD/NASH stages, before and after intervention, through the development of biomarkers and innovative tools to follow mitochondrial (mt) dysfunction, a central mediator of fatty liver disease pathogenesis. This promising R&D strategy will also bring new knowledge about the disease mechanisms and improved understanding of the pathogenic process and disease drivers. To that end, mtFOIE GRAS envisages a training-through-work plan that brings together an intersectoral, multidisciplinary team of researchers and technicians experts in their fields, from basic to translational research, clinical practice, technology commercialization and public advocacy. Together with several PhD students, the team will share expertises and work synergistically along the value creation chain to address the unmet medical need of more informative NAFLD assessment. In the process, mtFOIE GRAS will endow the involved staff with excellent scientific knowledge and transferable skills while building and strengthening intersectoral cooperation among partners, thus contributing to EU RD&I excellence.

Strongly associated with the epidemics of obesity and type 2 diabetes that are testing healthcare systems worldwide, Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) is an increasingly common cause of advanced liver disease that is characterized by substantial inter-patient variability in severity and rate of progression. It is currently assessed by liver biopsy, an invasive, costly and risky procedure. The lack of noninvasive biomarkers has hampered patient care and impeded drug development by complicating conduct of clinical trials.The overarching aim of LITMUS is to develop, robustly validate and advance towards regulatory qualification biomarkers that diagnose, risk stratify and/or monitor NAFLD/NASH progression and fibrosis stage. This will be achieved through a goal-oriented, tri-partite collaboration delivering a definitive and impartial evaluation platform for biomarkers, bringing together: (i) End-users of biomarker technologies (clinicians with expertise in NAFLD and the pharmaceutical industry)? (ii) Independent academics with expertise in the evaluation of medical test/biomarker performance? and (iii) Biomarker researchers and developers (academic or commercial). LITMUS has the demonstrable capability to fulfil the IMI call remit. Built upon foundations laid by the EU-funded FLIP/EPoS projects and long-established, successful scientific collaborations amongst many of Europe’s leading clinical-academic centres, LITMUS is at a unique advantage due to its existing large-scale patient cohorts, bioresources and multi-omics datasets. Consortium members are internationally recognised experts with substantial relevant expertise supporting the program’s clear focus on biomarker identification, validation and accelerating EMA/FDA qualification. Thus, LITMUS is powered to provide clarity on biomarker validity for NAFLD at scale and pace: supporting drug development and the targeting of medical care and limited healthcare resources to those at greatest need.