Description
Description (EN): In the time designated by the project duration (18 months), we aim to establish the foundation for active and sustainable cross-border collaboration in biomedical research between Romania and Ukraine.
Specifically, in the first year (12 months), we will jointly design and implement a highly collaborative study to collect and sequence 300 human genomes in the Zakarpattia, Satu Mare and Baia Mare (Maramures) regions. This will be achieved from close coordination between 23 researchers directly involved in this project in two partnership institutions. We will use this new database to identify and describe common, rare, and endemic medically-relevant mutations in the ethnically diverse human population of the RO-UA cross-border region.
By the end of the 18-month period, our close collaboration will produce a publicly accessible on-line resource of genome variation in this previously unexplored region. In order to make this data easily accessible and interpretable by research and health professionals, we will also develop and publish bioinformatics tools. We will organize a campaign to share and disseminate our findings, culminating in the final conference in Uzhhorod UA, which will be open to general public, researchers and health professionals in the region.
We will develop and evaluate educational program to complement our research activities and prepare young experts capable of using the research data, bioinformatics tools and modern sequencing technology. Specifically, using the two intensive workshops based in Satu Mare, RO, we will train dozens of young local experts in the area of genome and bioinformatics and its applications to research and personalized medicine.
The strategic goal of this collaborative effort is to bring the expertise of genomics and informatics technology to the cross-border region. We aim to spur the innovation and research that will eventually benefit all residents of cross-border regions, as well as citizens of both countries in general, who will benefit from this initiative. Specifically, three research publications planned to be submitted by the end of this project (18 months) will ensure to better understanding of the genomic components contributing to the risk of infections, chronic and oncological diseases in this region, and provide computing tools able to bring the promise of personalized medicine to the local health care.
Read more
Website: http://ro-ua.net/en/
Expected Results (EN): We will create a publicly available catalog of genome variation in the region, to identify common and rare variation in the local genomes, to detect and to describe local genome-wide population substructure (i.e. create maps of variation, recombination, ancestry and admixture). To achieve this, we will resequence, assemble and annotate chromosome structures and functional elements in 300 human genomes sampled across the border between Romania and Ukraine. This data will be accessible through a designated public web-server to be available for the researchers and health professionals by the end of the study (18 months); We will make our 300 genomes database accessible to the researchers and health professionals, as well as the members of general public. This will achieved through the developing two custom informatics tools. The first set of tool will help identify and describe common, rare, and endemic medically-relevant mutations in the ethnically diverse human population of the region. The second set of tools will serve medical communities in planning the future clinical research by allowing for unbiased mutation identification in the local samples. Specifically, this will be designed to be used in medical genetics, clinical cohort selection, and contribute to the innovation in the field of personalized medicine in the region. The tools will be presented to the local research and health community at the Final Conference (18 months) and will be submitted as two peer-reviewed publications; We will train a generation of young local scientist capable of using our genome data, modern sequencing technology and bioinformatics tools in the local context. To achieve this, we will complement our research activities by the two intensive week-long workshops based in Satu Mare, RO. We will develop and evaluate the curriculum that will train dozens of young local experts in the area of genomics and bioinformatics, and prepare them to use this information in research and personalized medicine. The overall goal is to use the project genome data to develop sustainable research and educational programs at each partner institution capable of continuing genomics research in the region, training faculty, students, and medical personnel with knowledge and practical skills in genomic medicine, genome research and informatics. By the end of the project (18 months), we will have up to 60 young researchers trained, and will be able to employ the developed and tested curriculum, basic teaching molecular laboratory infrastructure, online cusеom informatics tools, as well as the joint faculty capable organizing similar workshops in the future.
Read more Expected Outputs (EN): 1 published reference database of genome variation in the Eastern Carpathians; 1 set of bioinformatics tools for mutation identification, and cohort selection.
Partners (2)
Lead Partner:
Uzhhorod National University
Address:
Narodna str. 3Uzhhorod, Ukraine
Legal status:
public
Total budget:
EUR 149 960.00
ENI budget:
EUR 134 460.00
-
”VASILE GOLDIȘ” University Foundation of Arad, Branch of Satu Mare
-
Name:
”VASILE GOLDIȘ” University Foundation of Arad, Branch of Satu Mare
Address:
Mihai Viteazu street, 26, 440037 Satu Mare, Romania
Legal status:
private
Total budget:
EUR 150 000.00
ENI budget:
EUR 135 000.00
