Action number BM0603

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• Action number BM0603
• Start date 05-06-2007
• End date June 2011
• Year 2

Presenter Trevor Owens (Chair) University of
Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
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Action Members
Grant Holder University of Southern
Denmark Trevor Owens Denmark
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Action participants
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Use of COST instruments
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Main Objective of the Action To gain new
understanding of neuroinflammatory and
neurodegenerative processes as they occur in
Multiple Sclerosis and Alzheimer's Disease, To
facilitate development of improved therapies by
drawing together knowledge from study of
individual diseases.
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The Operational Goal of this Action is to create
a network of basic scientists and clinical
researchers with expertise in inflammation and
degenerative disease of the brain, in order to
1. Integrate studies, approaches and techniques
for study of neuroinflammation and
neurodegeneration, 2. Train young researchers
by cross-cutting exposure to all aspects of these
two major diseases, and, 3. Provide scientific
insight that guides clinical research and
practice.
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Structure Chair / Secretary Trevor Owens,
Denmark (Stine Sonne Carstensen) Vice-chair Franc
esca Aloisi, Italy 4 Working groups WG1
Triggers Hugh Perry (UK), Francesca Aloisi
(Italy) WG2 Interactions Burkhard Becher
(Switzerland) Spyros Georgopoulos
(Greece) WG3 CNS response Bente Finsen (Denmark)
Knut Biber (Netherlands) WG4 Protection,Repair Alo
n Monsonego (Israel) Hans Lassmann
(Austria) STSM committee Jon Laman Netherlands
(Chair) Lesley Probert Greece Hugh Perry UK Alon
Monsonego Israel Training Joana Palha
Portugal Ingo Bechmann Germany
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Results vs. Objectives

• Annual progress towards reaching the Actions
  scientific objectives - what could not be
  achieved by a single research group/institution
• Highly successful meeting Southampton November
  2008
• STSMs that have brought young members to labs
  where they have accessed novel techniques
• Peruzzotti (IT) to Mark Wests lab (DK)
• Tseveleki (GR) to Hartmut Wekerles lab (DE)
• Andersen (DK) to Alon Monsonegos lab (IL)
• Teeling (UK) to Sandra Amors lab (NL)
• DFG Klinischeforschungsgruppe Bonn - Kick-off
  meeting February 26-27 2009 - this group shares
  our goals and were influenced by our Action

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Significant highlights (1/2)

• Innate and Adaptive Immunity in Alzheimers
  disease
• (Neurinfnet W91, Southampton, November 17th-18th
  2008)
• This meeting provided an opportunity to discuss
  innate and acquired immune processes in the CNS
  that may be relevant to Alzheimers disease.
• Speakers addressed immune mechanisms that may be
  relevant to Alzheimers disease pathogenesis and
  we identified areas that require further research
  or have yet to be explored.
• The meeting was supported by Neurinfnet COST,
  Alzheimers Research Trust, Southampton
  Neuroscience Group (SoNG).
• The workshop was hosted by Professors Hugh Perry
  and James Nicoll and attended by more than 80
  people from Universities and research centres
  from across Europe and the University of
  Southampton.
• A number of short presentations were given in
  each area followed by a panel-based discussion
  with those presenting. There were lively
  discussions and plenty of time to highlight areas
  of both agreement and lack of agreement.
• Poster presentations were available for viewing
  throughout the meeting and represented attendees
  from each of the Working Groups. Feedback from
  young researchers was overwhelmingly positive.

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Significant highlights (2/2)

• STSM visit of Dr Rikke Andersen (Owens group,
  University of Southern Denmark) to the lab of Dr
  Alon Monsonego (Ben-Gurion University Israel),
  February 2009
• This STSM grew out of discussions at the
  Southampton meeting in November 2008. It bridges
  research projects in MS- and AD-related fields
• Rikke Andersens project asks do immune
  cytokines in the brain contribute to nerve
  regeneration?
• Dr Monsonegos lab study neurogenesis in mouse
  models of Alzheimers Disease
• Rikke Andersen visited Beer-Sheva last month to
  learn techniques of studying neurogenesis
• Collaboration between the groups in Denmark and
  Israel will continue - two co-authored papers
  precede the COST Action, and more are planned
• A highlight of the STSM and
• the Southampton meeting was
• the good chemistry between
• lab members

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Global dimension

• Number of researchers from institutions from
  non-COST countries involved in the Action 4
• Revez Solomonia, I. Chavchavadze University,
  Tbilisi, Georgia
• Gerald Muench, Univ Western Sydney, Australia
• Iain Campbell, Univ of Sydney, Australia
• Jack Antel, McGill University, Canada

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Global dimension
Other funding frameworks or public-private
partnerships None at present, other than
co-sponsorship of Workshops Cooperation with
external body, organization or company FP6
NeuroproMiSe Alzheimers Research Trust
UK European School of Neuroimmunology (ESNI) DFG
Klinische Forschungs Gruppe Bonn FENS/PENS
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Global dimension

• Which dissemination efforts have been undertaken?
• Publications
• Association to other meetings with prominent name
  recognition eg. NeuroproMiSe, Euroglia 2009
• Summer schools - Braga, Istanbul (ESNI)
• Website www1.sdu.dk/multi/neurinfnet
• Facebook initiative - Inflammation in brain
  disease http//www.facebook.com/home.php?/group.
  php?gid54481306120refts

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Challenges
Any significant deviations from the work plan
last year (e.g. new research directions)? None W
hat are critical phases to be implemented or
topics to be addressed next year? Training
schools
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Challenges

• Successes
• Have established a dialogue between disparate
  scientific fields through successful meetings
• ESRs are very happy with format of our meetings
• STSMs are working well
• Shortcomings
• Publications will increase in Year 3
• Future challenges
• Training schools, training networks
• Extend network to FP7 funding
• Spread the message to and recruit other countries