The Fondation privée des HUG has developed a series of research grants aimed at supporting ambitious translational research projects involving teams from the Faculty of Medicine and the HUG. This year, four projects were selected following a competitive process, two in the CONFIRM category and two in the CONFIRM Priority category, which this time focuses on the field of inflammation.

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Aurélien Lathuilière, Stergios Tsartsalis, Philippe Millet & Benjamin Tournier
Interplay between APOE polymorphism and glial function in Alzheimer’s disease

This project investigates how different APOE genotypes, especially APOE4, impact astrocyte and microglia function in Alzheimer's disease. Using innovative mouse models and human brain samples, it aims to uncover how APOE4 drives glial changes, assess their reversibility, and identify biomarkers for early detection and therapy. This research may reveal novel targets for diagnosis and treatment, improving outcomes for patients with Alzheimer's disease.

Olivier Preynat-Seauve & Wolf-Henning Boehncke
Rescue-patch: a first-in-human trial to evaluate a patch containing allogeneic cells for the treatment of ischemic chronic wounds in therapeutic failure

Chronic skin wounds are a growing public health challenge, leading to long-term disability or amputation. A significant subset remains refractory to treatment. The research team developed an innovative allogenic cell therapy that addresses the vascular deficiencies underlying chronic wounds. SwissMedic has authorized a first-in-human phase I/II trial, RESCUE-PATCH. This project unites clinical, manufacturing, and academic research to evaluate safety, preliminary efficacy, and the therapy’s mechanism of action. the Fondation Privée des HUG grant will support the patch manufacturing for the trial and the associated translational research.

Confirm Priority: inflammation

Camilla Jandus & Peter Jandus (cofunding with the Fondation Ceres)
Virtual reality for allergy neuro-immunotherapy 

This project aims to harness the brain-immunity connection as a novel strategy to actively modulate immune responses using virtual-reality delivered, disease mimicking cues. As a proof-of-concept, it will validate this innovative, non-invasive and cost-effective approach in the context of hymenoptera venom allergy. The outcome of this project should have broad translational relevance as a novel form of immunotherapy across a range of immune-mediated conditions, including inflammatory disorders, autoimmune diseases, vaccination, and cancer.

Axel Finckh, Santiago Carmona & Christiane Eberhardt 
TIRAD: TCR immuno-profiling in rheumatoid arthritis development 

The aim of this study is to elucidate the immune mechanisms—particularly T cell–mediated and inflammatory processes—that drive the development of rheumatoid arthritis. To achieve this, the team will integrate data from an existing cohort with newly generated experimental datasets. The SCREEN-RA cohort has longitudinally followed approximately 1,600 individuals at risk for up to 15 years, monitoring them until the onset of clinically classified disease. This approach will combine advanced immuno-transcriptomic profiling, antigen-specific T-cell target identification, and functional characterization of immune cells derived from both peripheral blood and synovial tissue, to construct a comprehensive understanding of rheumatoid arthritis pathogenesis. By uncovering the early immunological triggers of autoimmunity, the aim is to identify novel biomarkers that predict imminent rheumatoid arthritis onset. Ultimately, this research may lay the foundation for innovative preventive strategies against this debilitating disease.