Asthma and COPD are common chronic respiratory diseases that represent a significant social and economic burden. Traditionally, treatment of these conditions has been based on a "one-size-fits-all" approach, which often suppresses symptoms without achieving actual health improvement. RESPIRE-EXCEL aims to change this by introducing precision medicine tailored to individual patients. The project trains a new generation of translational and medical scientists in cross-sectoral competencies and multidisciplinary knowledge, so that they can effectively collaborate with industry, healthcare and academia to develop precision medicine for asthma and COPD. The RESPIRE-EXCEL consortium has many academic, industrial and societal partners from all over Europe, including the patient organization European Lung Foundation and the largest European scientific and clinical organization in respiratory medicine, the European Respiratory Society.
Our vision is to transform current generic treatment methods into precision medicine for patients with asthma and COPD. By training the next generation of scientists, we are equipping them with the skills and competences needed to tackle the complexity of these diseases.
The European Union (EU) has awarded the prestigious Horizon Europe Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Doctoral Network to the RESPIRE-EXCEL project. This pioneering initiative aims to revolutionise the treatment of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
To understand the cellular and molecular mechanisms in different types of asthma and COPD, we will use lung tissue samples from patients. RESPIRE-EXCEL will employ advanced methods to perform detailed single-cell analyses, identifying changes in cell behavior and gene networks in lung tissue. This will enhance our knowledge of how cells interact in these diseases and help identify new treatment targets.
RESPIRE-EXCEL aims to find biomarkers that reflect disease activity in lung tissue, aiding in the diagnosis of asthma and COPD types. WP3 will analyze lung tissue, nasal brush, and blood samples from patients over time to discover biomarkers. This will help identify specific profiles in tissues that can be sampled minimally invasively, like nasal brushes or blood cells.
To find effective treatments for asthma and COPD, RESPIRE-ESCEL will study lung and blood samples from patients in clinical trials. This will help identify how different patients respond to treatments at the molecular level, distinguishing between those who respond well and those who do not. Additionally, it will identify disease types that lack suitable treatments.
RESPIRE-EXCEL will develop a comprehensive single-cell atlas of asthma and COPD, identifying unique and common cell states and interactions in lung tissue. This atlas will guide the selection of the best disease models for preclinical studies. We will also create in vitro models to study airway changes in asthma and COPD, aiding in target identification and validation for new treatments and biomarkers.
RESPIRE-EXCEL aims to create a comprehensive training program for future respiratory scientists. This program will help them overcome current challenges in moving towards precision medicine. RESPIRE-EXCEL follows the EU’s principles for innovative doctoral training, focusing on being innovative, interdisciplinary, and international.
We have designed unique and cutting-edge research projects in appealing environments, emphasizing the importance of moving between different sectors through secondments. This approach ensures an exciting training program that covers interdisciplinary research, transferable skills, and teamwork, supported by experts from academia, healthcare, and industry.
The program is led by top academic supervisors and co-supervisors from various sectors and countries. The innovative aspect of RESPIRE-EXCEL is its collaboration with world-leading experts from multiple fields, such as single cell biology, machine learning, clinical studies, and drug development. This collaboration spans industry, healthcare, and academia, aiming to train respiratory scientists who are collaborative, entrepreneurial, and ready to advance precision medicine.
Project Coordinator
UMC Groningen, NL
Training Coordinator
University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein, DE
Principal Investigator
Helmholtz University Munich, DE
Principal Investigator
Helmholtz University Munich, DE
Principal Investigator
Stockholm University, SE
Science Coordinator
Karolinska Institute, SE
Principal Investigator
Karolinska Institute, SE
Principal Investigator
Barcelona Clinic Research Foundation, ES
Principal Investigator
Bispebjerg Hospital Copenhagen, DK
Principal Investigator
Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, FR
Principal Investigator
Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, FR
Principal Investigator
Omniscope, ES
Principal Investigator
Omniscope, ES
Principal Investigator
The Chancellor Masters and Scholars of the University of Cambridge, UK
Principal Investigator
University of Leicester, UK
Principal Investigator
University of Leicester, UK
Principal Investigator
Imperial College London, UK
Principal Investigator
Imperial College London, UK
Principal Investigator
UMC Groningen, NL
Principal Investigator
UMC Groningen, NL
