The European Platform for Neurodegenerative Diseases [1] (EPND) is working to accelerate global progress in neurodegenerative disease diagnostics, treatments, and biomarkers [2]. Supported by the Innovative Medicines Initiative [3], the EPND Consortium is made up of 29 public and private partners [4] and is creating new pathways for collaborative research by removing barriers to sample and data sharing.
Earlier this year, EPND launched its extended Study Catalogue [5], which includes metadata from over 70 cohorts, across 12 disease areas with almost 240,000 participants. EPND now invites academic and industry researchers to submit an Expression of Interest to leverage neurodegeneration biosamples and data catalogued [6] on the EPND platform. The Call is designed to test the full suite of functionalities of the EPND platform, helping to refine and adapt the platform to best meet the needs of neurodegeneration researchers.
Successful proposals will benefit from an array of resources and services, including:
- Facilitated access to biosamples and datasets from neurodegeneration research studies
- Technical support for data harmonisation, saving time before initiating analysis
- Access to secure online workspaces, analytical tools and apps, via the AD Data Initiative’s AD Workbench [7]
- Ethical-legal guidance, helping researchers to understand and address compliance requirements
EPND can also offer financial support in the range of €10,000 – €50,000 for successful academic proposals to cover biosample costs, although interested applicants are expected to apply with external funding sources to enable their research study. Selected applicants will join a robust community of researchers, working to accelerate the discovery of diagnostic and therapeutic solutions for neurodegenerative diseases.
Apply here: bit.ly/EPNDResearch_Call [8]
Key information:
- Expressions of Interest must be submitted by 15 September 2024. Selected applicants will be invited to submit a full proposal (4 pages) by 30 November.
- Download the application form at ly/EPND_ApplicationForm [9] and submit via email to collaborate@epnd.org [10]
- Learn more about the Call and application process at ly/EPNDResearch_Call [8]
For more information, contact the EPND team at collaborate@epnd.org [10].