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Albert AM, Balamurali D, Beslika E, Fernandez ID, Genedy HH, Babaei Khorzoughi R, Lauta FC, Peppas P, Ragone I, Rizzari G, Sansonetti M, Silva J, Spanò G, Wrona KM. Harnessing the power of RNA therapeutics in treating ischemic heart failure: the TRAIN-HEART story. Front Cardiovasc Med 2024; 10:1228160. [PMID: 38274312 PMCID: PMC10809146 DOI: 10.3389/fcvm.2023.1228160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2023] [Accepted: 12/20/2023] [Indexed: 01/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Ischemic heart disease (IHD) is one of the world's foremost killers, accounting for 16% of all deaths worldwide. IHD is the main cause of heart failure (HF), as it leads to pathological changes in the heart, improper pumping function and eventual death. Therapeutic interventions usually follow a systemic general strategy for all heart failure subtypes due to the lack of a deep understanding of the disease mechanisms. Hence, HF and IHD therapeutics need groundbreaking concepts to guide the development of a new therapeutics class that tackles the disease at a molecular level. The TRAIN-HEART consortium, a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Innovative Training Network (MSCA-ITN) funded by the European Commission, was established with the goal of filling that gap and developing RNA-based cardiovascular therapeutics. Created in the context of the Horizon 2020 research and innovation program, TRAIN-HEART comprises three key work packages (WPs) focusing on the pathogenesis of heart disease (WP1), the therapeutic potential of RNA therapeutics (WP2), and the development of new efficient delivery systems (WP3). Fifteen international early stage researchers (ESRs) from multiple complementary scientific disciplines were recruited to collaborate with a network of PIs from nine academic and eight non-academic partners in various disciplines to fully harness their collective potential for the betterment of HF treatment. This article provides an overview of the benefits of being part of an MSCA-ITN, with its different training and networking opportunities, maximizing ESRs' potential and broadening collaborative research possibilities. Finally, it describes what was like to do a PhD during the COVID-19 pandemic, with all the uncertainty and concern attached to it. Luckily, TRAIN-HEART stood out as a proactive network, finding new initiatives and alternatives to promote scientific and personal development. By bringing together leading academic teams, (biotech) companies, and highly motivated researchers, TRAIN-HEART is expanding scientific horizons and accelerating future development of effective RNA-based therapies to treat IHD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alba M. Albert
- Cardiac Research, Regenerative Therapies, Target Discovery & Imaging, Miltenyi Biotec B.V. & Co. KG, Bergisch Gladbach, Germany
- Institute for Molecular and Translational Therapeutic Strategies (IMTTS), Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Deepak Balamurali
- Genetic Epidemiology and Statistical Genetics, Department of Biochemistry, CARIM School for Cardiovascular Diseases, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands
| | - Evangelia Beslika
- Department of Cardiology, CARIM School for Cardiovascular Diseases, Faculty of Health Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands
- Cardiovascular R&D Centre—UnIC@RISE, Department of Surgery and Physiology, Faculty of Medicine of the University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Ileana D. Fernandez
- Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Hussein H. Genedy
- Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, UMR 5223, CNRS, INSA Lyon, Université Jean Monnet, Ingénierie des Matériaux Polymères, Villeurbanne, France
- King’s College London, British Heart Foundation Centre of Research Excellence, School of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Medicine & Sciences, London, United Kingdom
| | | | | | - Panagiotis Peppas
- Cardiovascular R&D Centre—UnIC@RISE, Department of Surgery and Physiology, Faculty of Medicine of the University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Isabella Ragone
- King’s College London, British Heart Foundation Centre of Research Excellence, School of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Medicine & Sciences, London, United Kingdom
| | - Giorgia Rizzari
- King’s College London, British Heart Foundation Centre of Research Excellence, School of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Medicine & Sciences, London, United Kingdom
| | - Marida Sansonetti
- Institute for Molecular and Translational Therapeutic Strategies (IMTTS), Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Joana Silva
- Department of Cardiology, CARIM School for Cardiovascular Diseases, Faculty of Health Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands
- Mirabilis Therapeutics BV, Maastricht, Netherlands
| | - Giulia Spanò
- Department of Cardiology, CARIM School for Cardiovascular Diseases, Faculty of Health Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands
| | - Kinga M. Wrona
- Department of Experimental Pharmacology and Toxicology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
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