In the ID-DarkMatter-NCD project, funded by the European Union's Framework Programme for Research and Innovation, researchers are seeking to find out why certain infectious diseases develop into immunological diseases. The Hungarian project team is led Mate Manczinger at the Systems Immunology Research Group at the Biological Research Centre (BRC) based in Szeged, southern Hungary. The consortium is coordinated by Thomas Vogl at the Medical University of Vienna and composed of experts in immunology, genomics, and data science, BRC says on its website.
In the project, the BRC's Systems Immunology Research Group will coordinate the genetic analysis of patients.
The primary focus of the project running until 2028, is to identify the hidden genetic and environmental factors that link infectious diseases to later-onset and often chronic noncommunicable immune-related diseases. To accomplish these goals, the team plans to screen for antibody responses against an impressive 600,000 antigens in 6,000 patients.
Among the diseases selected for in-depth analysis are post-COVID-19 sydrome, multiple sclerosis, chronic fatigue syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus (SLE), and inflammatory bowel diseases.
By employing cutting-edge multi-omics approaches and personalized genotyping, the team will gain a comprehensive understanding of each patient's immune profile and the development of the diseases.
Supported by 8.4 million euros (3.242 billion forints) from the EU's Horizon program, 12 European consortium partners, including the University of Basel as a Swiss associate partner, which has an additional funding of around 1.2 million euros (436 million forints), are participating in the sixty-month project.
