After their accreditation by Lyonbiopole, worldwide competitiveness cluster, the projects ANTI-PYO, COVALEPT and PREMAG have been selected by the FUI. They represent a global investment of € 16.4 M and will receive € 5.4 million of public funding. Since 2005, Lyonbiopole has accredited 119 multi-partner R&D projects for a total R&D investment of € 588 million of which € 240 million have been obtained.

Those three R&D projects, accredited by Lyonbiopole and submitted to the 14^thFUI call for projects, benefit from public funding from the French State, European Regional Development Fund (FEDER) and local authorities among which the Rhône-Alpes region, the Greater Lyon, Grenoble Alpes metropole, the General council of Isere and the city of Grenoble.

ANTI-PYO (AAP14 FUI) : Design, synthesis and pharmaceutical development of antiadhesion glycoclusters inhibitors of infection by Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Partners: Elicityl (38) (project leader), Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 (69), Sanofi R&D (31 & 34), CERMAV-CNRS (38), LISM-CNRS (13), Université Lille 2 (59)

The objective of the project is to develop a drug candidate to treat lung infections related to Pseudomonas aeruginosa in patients in intensive care and in patients with cystic fibrosis. This bacteria is the leading cause of infection in patients in intensive care and is responsible for 80% of mortality in patients with cystic fibrosis. The molecules developed in ANTI-PYO will have to prevent bacterial attachment to the lung surface, to facilitate their elimination by the immune system and to make them much more sensitive to standard antibiotic treatments against which the bacteria has become resistant.
 

COVALEPT (AAP14 FUI) : Discovery and design of new antigens for vaccines conferring broad spectrum protection against leptospirosis

Partners : Merial (69) (project leader), Calixar (69), Genostar (38), PX'Thérapeutics(38), VetagroSup (69) et Institut Pasteur (75)

Leptospirosis is a neglected bacterial disease affecting humans and various mammal species with a high mortality rate. Vaccination is the most effective prevention strategy but current available vaccines do not trigger protection against new serovars having emerged in the past few years. COVALEPT aims at developing broad spectrum canine vaccines. The project will isolate and characterize virulent circulating strains from the field. Protective antigens conserved amongst Leptospira will be identified by bioinformatics, produced in native or recombinant form and assessed in vivo in order to conceive a universal subunit vaccine for multi-species applications. 
  

PREMAG  (AAP14 FUI) : Development of an analog of unacylated ghrelin and biomarkers for therapeutic applications in muscular protection and regeneration.

Partners: Alizé Pharma (69) (project leader), Ricerca Biosciences (69), Bertin Pharma (78), VetagroSup (69) et les Hospices Civils de Lyon (69)

PREMAG's objective is to develop an analog of unacylated ghrelin (UAG)and biomarkers for therapeutic applications in muscular protection and regeneration. The targeted clinical indications are unmet medical needs: 1) ischemia-reperfusion during myocardial infarction and 2) cachexia or muscle wasting secondary to chronic heart failure, a long-term complication of myocardial infarction. PREMAG's ambition is to rapidly translate the results into clinical testing in cardioprotection and/or cachexia.

An update on projects accredited by Lyonbiopole and funded 

Since 2005, Lyonbiopole has accredited 119 R&D projects, representing a total investment around of € 588 million and have obtained € 240 million of public funding.

FUI calls for projects

34projects of a total € 179 million investment received public funding totaling € 70 million.


ANR calls for projects

74 projects, corresponding to € 122 million of investments and that have obtained € 40 million in funding from the National Research Agency (ANR). 

ISI OSEO

4 project accredited by Lyonbiopole, representing an investment totaling € 266 million, obtained a total € 117 million public funding. 

European Commission calls for projects

Since 2005, 3 projects of a total € 13 million investments, obtained a total of € 9 million in funding from the European Commission.
 
OSEO and local authorities

4 projects accredited by Lyonbiopole, representing an investment totaling € 8 million, obtained a public funding of € 4 million
 

About Lyonbiopole

Accredited as a world competitiveness cluster in 2005, Lyonbiopole is focused on the fight against human and animal infectious diseases and cancers. Centre of excellence in vaccines and diagnostics, based on the Lyon-Grenoble axis, it aims to strengthen the competitiveness of biotech companies and the attractiveness of the Rhône-Alpes. Designed as an interface tool between public and private research, Lyonbiopole implements actions to foster collaborative R&D, to support the setting up of projects and to raise funding and to increase strategic and financial partnerships for the companies' economic and international development. Furthermore, Lyonbiopole provides access to several shared facilities (meeting rooms, Business Center) and technological platforms such as the Infectious Diseases Center of Lyonbiopole opened on April 1^st, 2009.

More information: www.lyonbiopole.com