Projects / Programmes
Functional Genomics and Biotechnology for Health
January 1, 2015
- December 31, 2021
| Code |
Science |
Field |
Subfield |
| 1.05.00 |
Natural sciences and mathematics |
Biochemistry and molecular biology |
|
| 3.07.00 |
Medical sciences |
Metabolic and hormonal disorders |
|
| Code |
Science |
Field |
| P000 |
Natural sciences and mathematics |
|
| Code |
Science |
Field |
| 1.06 |
Natural Sciences |
Biological sciences |
functional genomics; multifactorial disorders; carcinogenesis; tissue-protection, regeneration, wound healing, stem cells; psychiatric disorders, suicide; metabolic diseases, NAFDL, cholesterol homeostasis, circadian rhythm; polymorphisms, mutations, biomarkers, nanobodies, bio-chips, NGS
Researchers (60)
Organisations (1)
Abstract
Human diseases are beggining to be looked upon as a dynamic perturbation of complex integrated genetic, molecular and cellular networks, which are sensorially and interactively connected to the environment. The shift from a classical view on medicine and its research, enabled by powerful genomic technologies, will be the fundamental driving force of our research. The proposed program aims to develop an integrated platform for the study of complex multifactorial disorders, and consequently also for the design of novel diagnostic and therapeutic approaches. Our know-how and introduced methodologies will be used to efficiently address different types of complex disorders. At the same time this may also be the starting point of potential new "spin-off" companies related to nano-antibodies, diagnostic tools, therapeutics and bioinformatic analysis.
In the upcoming period the program P1-0104 "Functional genomics and biotechnology for health" will be divided into two interconnecting segments: A / Molecular and cellular understanding of selected complex multifactorial disorders and B / Systematic approaches for identification of overlapping disease mechanisms, the search for molecular targets and design of new drugs and delivery systems. To investigate the molecular mechanisms we selected four models of complex multifactorial phenomena: carcinogenesis, tissue injury and regeneration, a psychiatric disorder and progressive non-alcoholic liver disease as an example of metabolic diseases. We will be also applying a "cross-strategy": for disorders where we are primarily looking for direct molecular causes, we will be also checking polimorphisms in genes involved in metabolism and the circadian rhythm; on the other hand in samples of patients with metabolic diseases we will transcriptomically and proteomically analyse genes investigated in the aforementioned mentioned diseases/phenomena. In this way we will perform a comprehensive search for potential common mechanisms in complex diseases.
With our research we are developing an integrated platform for studying complex multifactorial diseases (from genomics, transcriptomics and proteomics to systems bioinformatic data analysis) and the subsequent designing of novel diagnostic and therapeutic approaches. Our expertise and technology will be applied to address various aspects of complex diseases, which may in the end also result with new "spin-off" companies (nano-antibodies; diagnostic tools; therapeutics; bioinformatic analysis). Our research program is also feasible due to the many already established collaborations both in Slovenia and abroad that provide us with access to biological samples and complex analytical procedures.
Significance for science
The selected diseases at the centre of our research represent a pressing problem in developed societies. Modern technologies of genome sequencing, association studies, as well as transcriptome, proteome, methylome, and metabolome analyses, have enabled a big step forward in understanding the role of various factors in disease development. However, scientists acknowledge that the mere identification of susceptibility factors to a disease is not enough. Novel approaches to research and scientific thinking are needed, which will lead to a more complete understanding of homeostasis disruption at organism level and to comprehend disease development. Using global -omic approaches on patient samples and animal models we will examine molecular mechanisms and interactions by combining experimental and computational methods. This will contribute significantly to a different understanding of diseases and their development. The data obtained will enable novel, comprehensive insights into risk factors, mechanisms of development and progression of complex pathologies. By doing so we will contribute new knowledge to the understanding of disease mechanisms and the identification of diagnostic and prognostic genomic biomarkers. At the same time, we expect to develop and simplify the methods for their direct translation into the clinical setting. The discovery of new genetic associations and the role of molecular targets will enable the development of new targeted drugs. We will improve approaches towards rational pharmacotherapy and at the same time create guidelines and protocols for more patient-oriented therapeutic approaches.
The proposed program is a step forward in terms of integration and search for interactions of different risk factors for complex diseases. The general objective is to maintain and further develop the post-genomic methodological platform. The nature of our program is highly interdisciplinary and uses new tools of functional genomics. In addition to the novel basic knowledge in medicinal biochemistry and molecular biology, it also integrates this with bioinformatics and mathematical modelling. We expect the proposed research to have an impact on all the areas mentioned above. Our scientific findings fall into the category of basic scientific knowledge in the fields of biochemistry, molecular biology, functional genomics and mathematical approaches. Taken together, all this leads to systems medicine, which will have a major impact on public health and economy in the next decade.
Significance for the country
Direct socioeconomic importance
The program will apply experimental and computational procedures that can significantly contribute to the cost reduction and increase quality of discovery and new knowledge in biomedicine. Vast technological progress in the last decade has significantly increased the power and efficacy of research in unravelling the molecular roots and consequences of diseases. This has a strong impact on economy and society (design and production of biological drugs, new diagnostic and therapeutic approaches, society’s attitude towards genomics). At the same time we are confronted with the wide availability of various experimental data and biomedical knowledge resources. This requires a close collaboration between biomedical and computational science to integrate data and existing knowledge and allow reuse of data and reduction of experimental costs. This also increases the strength of set hypotheses, which may lead to the discovery of new biomedical knowledge, drugs and health care procedures. Slovenia is lagging behind in the area of interdisciplinary sciences and is lacking expertise in their use in practice. The proposed program aims at bridging this gap, by applying most novel post-genome experimental and computational approaches on a biomedical relevant issue of multifactorial diseases and at the same time to train young scientists. In the longer term, the program will contribute to the battle against multifactorial disorders that represent challenging medical issues of our time such as metabolic syndrome, cancer, psychiatric disorders and other. By expanding the knowledge on our target diseases, this program might propose novel directions in therapeutic strategies and possibly identify novel drug targets. Open access to this new knowledge could boost the innovative capacity of pharmaceutical industries or lead to small companies. By providing new health indicators and potentially developing personalized disease/drug risk predictors, by publishing developments on the web and other public media, this program will also contribute to the “health literacy” of citizens.
Indirect influence
We established a close cooperation with research groups at distinguished international institutions such as ICGEB, VUB in Belgium, Institut Pasteur, Babraham Institute in Cambridge, DKFZ in Heidelberg and other. With the proposed program, University of Ljubljana Faculty of Medicine integrates its activities into the broader European efforts in development and usage of systems medicine (FP7 CASyM: Coordinated Actions Systems Medicine), systems biology (FP7 ISBE: Infrastructure for Systems Biology Europe), and work with the highthroughput medical relevant data of the post-genome era (ELIXIR: ESFRI, a pan-European research infrastructure which unites Europe’s leading life science organisations for collection, interchange and storage of daily generated biological data). Slovenia became a full member of ELIXIR through efforts of our program group.
Most important scientific results
Annual report
2015,
interim report
Most important socioeconomically and culturally relevant results
Annual report
2015,
interim report
