HU-RIZON programme funded projects
11 February 2025
Modified: 13 February 2025
Reading time: 54 minute(s)
Project acronym: 4PMEDICINE
Coordinator: Semmelweis University
Amount of awarded funds: HUF 399,983,076
Project title: Systems study from pre-conception till infancy for early disease Prediction and Personalized Prevention in Pregnancy
Focus area: Supporting preventive, curative, and care systems to preserve healthy living
More about the project:
The ‘great obstetrical syndromes’ complicate about 40% of all pregnancies. These syndromes (e.g. preeclampsia, fetal growth restriction, early and late miscarriages) account for majority of maternal/fetal morbidity and mortality during pregnancy, and increased prevalence of maternal cardiometabolic diseases (CMDs), such as diabetes, hypertension and ischemic heart disease, suggesting that physiological stress of pregnancy uncovers unknown maternal predispositions. Moreover, the frequently associated placental pathology and sub-optimal intrauterine environment leads to CMDs in the offspring in long term. These syndromes result from complex, distinct and overlapping pathological pathways that are scarcely known. Therefore, specific and sensitive prediction, causal preventive means and therapies are lacking, creating a tremendous public health challenge that has intergenerational impact. To address this unmet need, we assembled an international consortium of key opinion leaders in obstetrics, perinatal medicine and pathology, cardiometabolic, hematologic and immunologic diseases, machine learning (ML) and system biology.
Our project aims to 1) establish a unique biobank of maternal, placental and neonatal samples collected longitudinally form pre-conception till post-partum; 2) deep-characterize the clinico-pathological and molecular changes in the mother, fetus and placenta with integrated, multidimensional systems approach; 3) identify and validate molecular biomarkers of clinical changes and therapeutic targets from big data with machine learning and artificial intelligence tools; 4) refine the nomenclature of the great obstetrical syndromes; and 5) build novel risk assessment tools for early, non-invasive screening of obstetrical syndromes and CMDs in preclinical phase.
The outcome will be the identification of personalized preventive tools, decreased perinatal and CMD morbidity and mortality, and significant reduction of healthcare expenditures.
Coordinator: Semmelweis University
Amount of awarded funds: HUF 399,983,076
Project title: Systems study from pre-conception till infancy for early disease Prediction and Personalized Prevention in Pregnancy
Focus area: Supporting preventive, curative, and care systems to preserve healthy living
More about the project:
The ‘great obstetrical syndromes’ complicate about 40% of all pregnancies. These syndromes (e.g. preeclampsia, fetal growth restriction, early and late miscarriages) account for majority of maternal/fetal morbidity and mortality during pregnancy, and increased prevalence of maternal cardiometabolic diseases (CMDs), such as diabetes, hypertension and ischemic heart disease, suggesting that physiological stress of pregnancy uncovers unknown maternal predispositions. Moreover, the frequently associated placental pathology and sub-optimal intrauterine environment leads to CMDs in the offspring in long term. These syndromes result from complex, distinct and overlapping pathological pathways that are scarcely known. Therefore, specific and sensitive prediction, causal preventive means and therapies are lacking, creating a tremendous public health challenge that has intergenerational impact. To address this unmet need, we assembled an international consortium of key opinion leaders in obstetrics, perinatal medicine and pathology, cardiometabolic, hematologic and immunologic diseases, machine learning (ML) and system biology.
Our project aims to 1) establish a unique biobank of maternal, placental and neonatal samples collected longitudinally form pre-conception till post-partum; 2) deep-characterize the clinico-pathological and molecular changes in the mother, fetus and placenta with integrated, multidimensional systems approach; 3) identify and validate molecular biomarkers of clinical changes and therapeutic targets from big data with machine learning and artificial intelligence tools; 4) refine the nomenclature of the great obstetrical syndromes; and 5) build novel risk assessment tools for early, non-invasive screening of obstetrical syndromes and CMDs in preclinical phase.
The outcome will be the identification of personalized preventive tools, decreased perinatal and CMD morbidity and mortality, and significant reduction of healthcare expenditures.
Project acronym: AI Next
Coordinator: Corvinus University of Budapest
Amount of awarded funds:HUF 369,959,030
Project title: New Paradigm in AI Transformation & Application
Focus area: Supporting the digital transition of the economy and society
More about the project:
AI has great potential to revolutionize products, processes, and strategies across individuals, organizations, social entities, and the broader economy. The primary obstacle to this AI revolution is the lack of trustworthiness in AI solutions, mainly due to the absence of Precise, Explainable, and Provable (PEP) AI outcomes. Therefore, the goal is to introduce the PEP AI concept through three groundbreaking methodologies to achieve PEP principles in AI solutions. First, a new AI computational paradigm, the Neural Mesh, will be introduced, replacing current Neural Networks used in AI engines. This leads to greater precision and power in AI. Second, a fundamental methodology will be developed to provide mathematically provable evidence for the stability and performance of AI-driven control solutions, replacing the unreliable experience-based evaluations unacceptable in control systems (e.g. flight control, medical applications). Third, a new research direction will be proposed aimed at extracting linguistically interpretable and explainable forms of AI decisions to better understand the deductions behind them. In addition to theoretical research, the project will deliver proof-of-concept implementations integrated into healthcare applications while addressing future technology acceptance and EU AI Act aspects to foster post-project innovation and realization.
The consortium includes the University of Washington (UW), extending CUB’s partners, and The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), already in an extensive partnership with CUB, ranked 12th and 35th, respectively, by QS in AI and Informatics subjects. The key scientists are Y. Nesterov (CUB), recipient of the World Laureates Association Prize, who initiated the Neural Mesh concept (2023), along with four globally renowned scientists (CUB, CUHK, UW) contributing to PEP AI with their inventions, published in a numerous top 2% journal papers. Special focus will be given to recruiting talented PhD students.
Coordinator: Corvinus University of Budapest
Amount of awarded funds:HUF 369,959,030
Project title: New Paradigm in AI Transformation & Application
Focus area: Supporting the digital transition of the economy and society
More about the project:
AI has great potential to revolutionize products, processes, and strategies across individuals, organizations, social entities, and the broader economy. The primary obstacle to this AI revolution is the lack of trustworthiness in AI solutions, mainly due to the absence of Precise, Explainable, and Provable (PEP) AI outcomes. Therefore, the goal is to introduce the PEP AI concept through three groundbreaking methodologies to achieve PEP principles in AI solutions. First, a new AI computational paradigm, the Neural Mesh, will be introduced, replacing current Neural Networks used in AI engines. This leads to greater precision and power in AI. Second, a fundamental methodology will be developed to provide mathematically provable evidence for the stability and performance of AI-driven control solutions, replacing the unreliable experience-based evaluations unacceptable in control systems (e.g. flight control, medical applications). Third, a new research direction will be proposed aimed at extracting linguistically interpretable and explainable forms of AI decisions to better understand the deductions behind them. In addition to theoretical research, the project will deliver proof-of-concept implementations integrated into healthcare applications while addressing future technology acceptance and EU AI Act aspects to foster post-project innovation and realization.
The consortium includes the University of Washington (UW), extending CUB’s partners, and The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), already in an extensive partnership with CUB, ranked 12th and 35th, respectively, by QS in AI and Informatics subjects. The key scientists are Y. Nesterov (CUB), recipient of the World Laureates Association Prize, who initiated the Neural Mesh concept (2023), along with four globally renowned scientists (CUB, CUHK, UW) contributing to PEP AI with their inventions, published in a numerous top 2% journal papers. Special focus will be given to recruiting talented PhD students.
Project acronym: AMR BIRDS
Coordinator: University of Debrecen
Amount of awarded funds: HUF 399,996,404
Project title: The role of migratory birds in spreading antimicrobial resistance
Focus area: Supporting preventive, curative, and care systems to preserve healthy living
More about the project:
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a major challenge for humanity since up to 10 million people are predicted to die annually from diseases caused by AMR pathogens by 2050. AMR genes and strains are known to spread between animals, humans and environment. While many studies quantify these in separate niches, no study fully tracks the transmission nor the source-sink dynamics of resistance genes. Of particular concern is the spread of AMR via birds that travel long distances. Here we focus on some of the longest-distant migrant birds and seek to establish their role in spreading AMR with special reference to Hungary, a country centred in a global migratory pathway.
In five work packages (WPs) we will sample the gut microbiome from wild and domesticated (i.e. poultry) birds, and humans (W-P-H) and to quantify the frequency of resistant alleles. Using state-of-the-art meta-genomic analyses, we will identify pathogens and AMR genes. WP-1 and -2 will sample and compare metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGS) from W-P-H using cultured clinical microbiological samples and a cutting-edge database infrastructure. In WP-3 we will focus on pathogens of major public health impact, including all ESKAPE and WHO AMR pathogens. We will quantify temporal and spatial variation in genes and SNPs associated with different sources, including host segregating markers and AMR genes. WP-4 will use probabilistic attribution models to quantify source transitions between H-P-W based on segregating genomic markers using new machine learning tools for identifying reservoirs to human infection. Finally, WP-5 will use local and global sampling across One Health settings to model transmissions and pinpoint efficient intervention points.
This much-needed approach brings an ecological perspective into AMR research and will exchange key skills between PARTNERS, produce top publications, form capacities, train early-career scientists and advise intervention policies in Hungary, across Europe and worldwide.
Coordinator: University of Debrecen
Amount of awarded funds: HUF 399,996,404
Project title: The role of migratory birds in spreading antimicrobial resistance
Focus area: Supporting preventive, curative, and care systems to preserve healthy living
More about the project:
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a major challenge for humanity since up to 10 million people are predicted to die annually from diseases caused by AMR pathogens by 2050. AMR genes and strains are known to spread between animals, humans and environment. While many studies quantify these in separate niches, no study fully tracks the transmission nor the source-sink dynamics of resistance genes. Of particular concern is the spread of AMR via birds that travel long distances. Here we focus on some of the longest-distant migrant birds and seek to establish their role in spreading AMR with special reference to Hungary, a country centred in a global migratory pathway.
In five work packages (WPs) we will sample the gut microbiome from wild and domesticated (i.e. poultry) birds, and humans (W-P-H) and to quantify the frequency of resistant alleles. Using state-of-the-art meta-genomic analyses, we will identify pathogens and AMR genes. WP-1 and -2 will sample and compare metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGS) from W-P-H using cultured clinical microbiological samples and a cutting-edge database infrastructure. In WP-3 we will focus on pathogens of major public health impact, including all ESKAPE and WHO AMR pathogens. We will quantify temporal and spatial variation in genes and SNPs associated with different sources, including host segregating markers and AMR genes. WP-4 will use probabilistic attribution models to quantify source transitions between H-P-W based on segregating genomic markers using new machine learning tools for identifying reservoirs to human infection. Finally, WP-5 will use local and global sampling across One Health settings to model transmissions and pinpoint efficient intervention points.
This much-needed approach brings an ecological perspective into AMR research and will exchange key skills between PARTNERS, produce top publications, form capacities, train early-career scientists and advise intervention policies in Hungary, across Europe and worldwide.
Project acronym: BLISKINTHER
Coordinator: Semmelweis University
Amount of awarded funds:HUF 400,000,000
Project title: Preclinical studies for the development of novel targeted therapies of autoimmune blistering skin diseases
Focus area: Supporting preventive, curative, and care systems to preserve healthy living
More about the project:
Pemphigoid diseases are rare autoimmune blistering skin or mucous membrane diseases driven by the immune system. The most common clinical entity is bullous pemphigoid which occurs mainly in the elderly. Current therapies are mostly limited to systemic immunosuppression which is associated with potentially life-threatening adverse events. There are no approved targeted therapies, likely due to our limited understanding of disease pathogenesis. We have recently established several human and mouse models to identify potential therapeutic targets in pemphigoid diseases.
Our preliminary experiments suggest major roles for tyrosine kinases and complement components. We propose a very ambitious genetic and pharmacological project on the role of tyrosine kinases and complement components in the pathogenesis of pemphigoid diseases. We will use human patient materials and in vivo mouse models to test the effect of various drug candidates. We will develop and use several novel technologies including transgenic mouse models, analysis of human iPSC-derived immune cells and CRISPR/Cas9-based functional screening in humans and mice. Our experiments will clarify the role of tyrosine kinases and complement components in pemphigoid diseases, provide proof of concept for novel clinical trials, identify novel therapeutic targets, and establish methodologies for further drug development. The project is led by a medically trained basic scientist with exceptional experience in inflammation research and international cooperation, together with a leading clinical dermatologist. They are supported by key experts of basic and clinical dermatology and international experts of human iPSC cells.
The project will be of major benefit for pemphigoid patients, basic and clinical dermatologists, talented junior scientists, as well as pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. Very extensive preliminary results and ongoing active collaborations ensure the feasibility of the project.
Coordinator: Semmelweis University
Amount of awarded funds:HUF 400,000,000
Project title: Preclinical studies for the development of novel targeted therapies of autoimmune blistering skin diseases
Focus area: Supporting preventive, curative, and care systems to preserve healthy living
More about the project:
Pemphigoid diseases are rare autoimmune blistering skin or mucous membrane diseases driven by the immune system. The most common clinical entity is bullous pemphigoid which occurs mainly in the elderly. Current therapies are mostly limited to systemic immunosuppression which is associated with potentially life-threatening adverse events. There are no approved targeted therapies, likely due to our limited understanding of disease pathogenesis. We have recently established several human and mouse models to identify potential therapeutic targets in pemphigoid diseases.
Our preliminary experiments suggest major roles for tyrosine kinases and complement components. We propose a very ambitious genetic and pharmacological project on the role of tyrosine kinases and complement components in the pathogenesis of pemphigoid diseases. We will use human patient materials and in vivo mouse models to test the effect of various drug candidates. We will develop and use several novel technologies including transgenic mouse models, analysis of human iPSC-derived immune cells and CRISPR/Cas9-based functional screening in humans and mice. Our experiments will clarify the role of tyrosine kinases and complement components in pemphigoid diseases, provide proof of concept for novel clinical trials, identify novel therapeutic targets, and establish methodologies for further drug development. The project is led by a medically trained basic scientist with exceptional experience in inflammation research and international cooperation, together with a leading clinical dermatologist. They are supported by key experts of basic and clinical dermatology and international experts of human iPSC cells.
The project will be of major benefit for pemphigoid patients, basic and clinical dermatologists, talented junior scientists, as well as pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. Very extensive preliminary results and ongoing active collaborations ensure the feasibility of the project.
Project acronym: BREATHGASES
Coordinator: University of Szeged
Amount of awarded funds: HUF 398,814,366
Project title: Development of a non-invasive diagnostic method for oxygen deficiency based on real-time measurement of biological gases (methane and nitrous oxide)
Focus area: Supporting preventive, curative, and care systems to preserve healthy living
More about the project:
Gastrointestinal (GI) ischaemia is a serious medical condition, one of the most overlooked, potentially detrimental consequences of circulatory disorders associated with local or systemic hypoxia. Timely recognition is essential, but the detection of GI microcirculatory impairment is a major diagnostic challenge.
Theoretical considerations, previous results and preliminary experimental data have established a likely correlation between the presence of intestinal gases (methane and nitrous oxide) in exhaled air and the circulatory status of the GI tract. On this premise we propose that continuous, online and sensitive monitoring of methane and nitrous oxide output in the breath and their relative changes can form the basis of a new, innovative diagnostic procedure. To this end, we develop an instrumental technique for the specific gas detection, with two lasers and two photoacoustic detector units, synchronized to accompanying carbon dioxide signals which will be well suited for the above task. We have designed a sequential step-by step approach to verify this proposal in human and porcine studies with or without standardized GI circulatory alterations. The R&D concept will also serve as a basis for answering less understood basic research questions on mechanistic details of hypoxic tissue injuries and nitrous oxide biology with possible global environmental projections.
The system is developed in close cooperation of partner working groups in Szeged, Vienna and Heidelberg, building on established, complimentary expertise and advanced, specific instrumentation, including the use of stable isotope technologies. The final aim of the focused multidisciplinary approach is to outline a new concept and provide a new device for the non-invasive recognition of GI ischemic events at the bedside.
Coordinator: University of Szeged
Amount of awarded funds: HUF 398,814,366
Project title: Development of a non-invasive diagnostic method for oxygen deficiency based on real-time measurement of biological gases (methane and nitrous oxide)
Focus area: Supporting preventive, curative, and care systems to preserve healthy living
More about the project:
Gastrointestinal (GI) ischaemia is a serious medical condition, one of the most overlooked, potentially detrimental consequences of circulatory disorders associated with local or systemic hypoxia. Timely recognition is essential, but the detection of GI microcirculatory impairment is a major diagnostic challenge.
Theoretical considerations, previous results and preliminary experimental data have established a likely correlation between the presence of intestinal gases (methane and nitrous oxide) in exhaled air and the circulatory status of the GI tract. On this premise we propose that continuous, online and sensitive monitoring of methane and nitrous oxide output in the breath and their relative changes can form the basis of a new, innovative diagnostic procedure. To this end, we develop an instrumental technique for the specific gas detection, with two lasers and two photoacoustic detector units, synchronized to accompanying carbon dioxide signals which will be well suited for the above task. We have designed a sequential step-by step approach to verify this proposal in human and porcine studies with or without standardized GI circulatory alterations. The R&D concept will also serve as a basis for answering less understood basic research questions on mechanistic details of hypoxic tissue injuries and nitrous oxide biology with possible global environmental projections.
The system is developed in close cooperation of partner working groups in Szeged, Vienna and Heidelberg, building on established, complimentary expertise and advanced, specific instrumentation, including the use of stable isotope technologies. The final aim of the focused multidisciplinary approach is to outline a new concept and provide a new device for the non-invasive recognition of GI ischemic events at the bedside.
Project acronym: CANDIVAC
Coordinator: University of Szeged
Amount of awarded funds:HUF 397,803,315
Project title: mRNA-based therapy against Candida albicans infections
Focus area: Supporting preventive, curative, and care systems to preserve healthy living
More about the project:
Fungal infections affect nearly one billion people annually, causing approximately 1.5 million deaths. One of the unexpected side effects of the COVID-19 pandemic has been the spread of virus-associated invasive fungal infections, significantly increasing the number of deaths due to fungal infections. Despite this, as of 2024, there is still no effective antifungal vaccine, and the number of effective therapeutic options remains limited. The "Fungal Priority Pathogens List" (FPPL) published by the WHO in October 2022 highlighted the significance of the problem and reaffirmed the need for effective prevention and treatment strategies.
During the fight against the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, the development of mRNA-based vaccines advanced rapidly, providing an effective platform for developing vaccines against other pathogens. Key researchers in this development were Dr. Katalin Karikó and Dr. Norbert Pardi, who are collaborating partners in this proposal, aiding in the achievement of the project's goal: the development and preclinical testing of the first effective mRNA-based vaccine/therapy against Candida species.
One of the significant discoveries in recent years was the identification of the peptide toxin candidalysin produced by Candida albicans. This pore-forming toxin is responsible for epithelial cell damage and inflammation. Among our collaborating partners is Dr. Julian Naglik, a researcher at King’s College London, who was the first to describe this protein, which plays a crucial role in Candida pathogenesis.
The aim of the proposed research is to be the first in the world to develop effective mRNA-based vaccines and therapeutic preparations against Candida species, targeting both systemic invasive and mucosal vulvovaginal infections, thereby making significant progress in the fight against fungal infections.
Coordinator: University of Szeged
Amount of awarded funds:HUF 397,803,315
Project title: mRNA-based therapy against Candida albicans infections
Focus area: Supporting preventive, curative, and care systems to preserve healthy living
More about the project:
Fungal infections affect nearly one billion people annually, causing approximately 1.5 million deaths. One of the unexpected side effects of the COVID-19 pandemic has been the spread of virus-associated invasive fungal infections, significantly increasing the number of deaths due to fungal infections. Despite this, as of 2024, there is still no effective antifungal vaccine, and the number of effective therapeutic options remains limited. The "Fungal Priority Pathogens List" (FPPL) published by the WHO in October 2022 highlighted the significance of the problem and reaffirmed the need for effective prevention and treatment strategies.
During the fight against the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, the development of mRNA-based vaccines advanced rapidly, providing an effective platform for developing vaccines against other pathogens. Key researchers in this development were Dr. Katalin Karikó and Dr. Norbert Pardi, who are collaborating partners in this proposal, aiding in the achievement of the project's goal: the development and preclinical testing of the first effective mRNA-based vaccine/therapy against Candida species.
One of the significant discoveries in recent years was the identification of the peptide toxin candidalysin produced by Candida albicans. This pore-forming toxin is responsible for epithelial cell damage and inflammation. Among our collaborating partners is Dr. Julian Naglik, a researcher at King’s College London, who was the first to describe this protein, which plays a crucial role in Candida pathogenesis.
The aim of the proposed research is to be the first in the world to develop effective mRNA-based vaccines and therapeutic preparations against Candida species, targeting both systemic invasive and mucosal vulvovaginal infections, thereby making significant progress in the fight against fungal infections.
Project acronym: CONTEMFood
Coordinator: University of Veterinary Medicine Budapest
Amount of awarded funds: HUF 399,984,572
Project title: Contaminants in Meat Replacement Products: A Contemporary Food Safety Perspective
Focus area: Supporting preventive, curative, and care systems to preserve healthy living
More about the project:
The project CONTEMFood, led by University of Veterinary Medicine Budapest, aims to address the limited knowledge on the safety aspects of modern foodstuffs, particularly alternative meat products, by examining the levels of carcinogenic, mutagenic process contaminants (acrylamide and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, PAHs) and toxic metals in meat replacement products made from ingredients most often used for meat replacement in marketed products (e.g. wheat, pea, bean, soy, mycoprotein) and potentially insect-based products. The study will be conducted in Hungary, Sweden, and Portugal to provide a comprehensive assessment across different regions.
Samples of similar food items will be carefully selected, cooked, and analysed to measure the concentrations of the contaminants. The results obtained will be utilized to conduct a thorough risk assessment specific to each of the three countries, providing valuable insights into the potential health implications associated with replacing meat-based foods with these contemporary food items. Risk assessment will be preceded by a literature review to find the best approaches and elaborate the most fit-for-purpose methodology.
In addition to the primary analysis, a database containing information on contaminants in meat replacement products will be established by leveraging existing data sources. Furthermore, a knowledge graph will be developed to encode and visualize the relationships between different contaminants, food types, and safety considerations, enhancing the understanding of this complex domain.
By shedding light on the levels of process contaminants and metals in alternative meat products, this project serves as a crucial starting point in filling the existing information gaps. The findings generated will contribute to enhancing the safety of modern food products and, consequently, safeguarding consumer health in the face of evolving dietary trends and environmental challenges.
Coordinator: University of Veterinary Medicine Budapest
Amount of awarded funds: HUF 399,984,572
Project title: Contaminants in Meat Replacement Products: A Contemporary Food Safety Perspective
Focus area: Supporting preventive, curative, and care systems to preserve healthy living
More about the project:
The project CONTEMFood, led by University of Veterinary Medicine Budapest, aims to address the limited knowledge on the safety aspects of modern foodstuffs, particularly alternative meat products, by examining the levels of carcinogenic, mutagenic process contaminants (acrylamide and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, PAHs) and toxic metals in meat replacement products made from ingredients most often used for meat replacement in marketed products (e.g. wheat, pea, bean, soy, mycoprotein) and potentially insect-based products. The study will be conducted in Hungary, Sweden, and Portugal to provide a comprehensive assessment across different regions.
Samples of similar food items will be carefully selected, cooked, and analysed to measure the concentrations of the contaminants. The results obtained will be utilized to conduct a thorough risk assessment specific to each of the three countries, providing valuable insights into the potential health implications associated with replacing meat-based foods with these contemporary food items. Risk assessment will be preceded by a literature review to find the best approaches and elaborate the most fit-for-purpose methodology.
In addition to the primary analysis, a database containing information on contaminants in meat replacement products will be established by leveraging existing data sources. Furthermore, a knowledge graph will be developed to encode and visualize the relationships between different contaminants, food types, and safety considerations, enhancing the understanding of this complex domain.
By shedding light on the levels of process contaminants and metals in alternative meat products, this project serves as a crucial starting point in filling the existing information gaps. The findings generated will contribute to enhancing the safety of modern food products and, consequently, safeguarding consumer health in the face of evolving dietary trends and environmental challenges.
Project acronym: COPD-ALERT
Coordinator: University of Pécs
Amount of awarded funds: HUF 389,608,085
Project title: Prediction of COPD exacerbations through artificial intelligence based monitoring of medication adherence and other medical data
Focus area: Supporting preventive, curative, and care systems to preserve healthy living
More about the project:
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) continues to be a major global health challenge, driving the need for innovative management strategies. The COPD-ALERT project is a pioneering initiative aimed at transforming COPD management through the development and implementation of an Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based predictive model that leverages comprehensive real-world data (RWD) to forecast exacerbations. This model integrates cutting-edge machine learning technologies with diverse data sources such as clinical records, prescription refills, patient-reported outcomes, and environmental data, enhancing the accuracy of exacerbation predictions.
COPD-ALERT is structured across five strategic work packages (WPs). WP1 lays the groundwork by identifying existing predictive models, predictors and longitudinal real-word datasets for subsequent validation. WP2 focuses on the development, training, and validation of the AI model, incorporating a broad range of data to ensure its precision and reliability. WP3 evaluates the model’s real-world effectiveness within Hungarian primary care settings. WP4 performs a detailed economic analysis to determine the cost-effectiveness of the AI model compared to conventional care. Finally, WP5 is dedicated to the implementation and dissemination of the project’s outcomes, ensuring the model's integration into clinical practice while advocating for open science principles.
The COPD-ALERT project is directly assimilate with the Hungarian National Intelligent Specialisation Strategy (S3) priority "Health", with a particular focus on promoting international cooperation and encouraging the uptake of innovative solutions to revolutionise healthcare. Although, the COPD-ALERT project is not directly linked to any research infrastructure it benefits significantly from the support and collaboration of two prominent international organisations: IPCRG) and "CONNECT", and the ERS CRC.
Coordinator: University of Pécs
Amount of awarded funds: HUF 389,608,085
Project title: Prediction of COPD exacerbations through artificial intelligence based monitoring of medication adherence and other medical data
Focus area: Supporting preventive, curative, and care systems to preserve healthy living
More about the project:
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) continues to be a major global health challenge, driving the need for innovative management strategies. The COPD-ALERT project is a pioneering initiative aimed at transforming COPD management through the development and implementation of an Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based predictive model that leverages comprehensive real-world data (RWD) to forecast exacerbations. This model integrates cutting-edge machine learning technologies with diverse data sources such as clinical records, prescription refills, patient-reported outcomes, and environmental data, enhancing the accuracy of exacerbation predictions.
COPD-ALERT is structured across five strategic work packages (WPs). WP1 lays the groundwork by identifying existing predictive models, predictors and longitudinal real-word datasets for subsequent validation. WP2 focuses on the development, training, and validation of the AI model, incorporating a broad range of data to ensure its precision and reliability. WP3 evaluates the model’s real-world effectiveness within Hungarian primary care settings. WP4 performs a detailed economic analysis to determine the cost-effectiveness of the AI model compared to conventional care. Finally, WP5 is dedicated to the implementation and dissemination of the project’s outcomes, ensuring the model's integration into clinical practice while advocating for open science principles.
The COPD-ALERT project is directly assimilate with the Hungarian National Intelligent Specialisation Strategy (S3) priority "Health", with a particular focus on promoting international cooperation and encouraging the uptake of innovative solutions to revolutionise healthcare. Although, the COPD-ALERT project is not directly linked to any research infrastructure it benefits significantly from the support and collaboration of two prominent international organisations: IPCRG) and "CONNECT", and the ERS CRC.
Project acronym: DIME
Coordinator: University of Debrecen
Amount of awarded funds: HUF 392,739,973
Project title: Detectors for Imaging and Medical Enhancement
Focus area: Supporting preventive, curative, and care systems to preserve healthy living
More about the project:
The project aims to develop and refine high-precision timing detectors using Silicon Photomultiplier (SiPM) sensors and TOFHIR, H2GCROC electronics. These devices are highly suitable for applications in particle physics, industrial processes, and medical diagnostics. The project's specific challenge is to achieve a timing accuracy of 10ps, which represents a significant advancement over the current technological standards. The timing detectors will be designed and tested in multi-channel configurations to enhance performance and reliability.
In the first phase, the initial design and validation of SiPM sensors will take place. This will be followed by an iterative process of testing and optimization to refine the sensors' geometric and functional properties. The optimized sensors will be integrated into prototype detectors and tested under real-world conditions. The testing process includes beam validation to simulate actual operational environments.
The second phase of the project involves exploring industrial applications, particularly focusing on TOFPET and LIDAR systems, as well as thermal neutron detectors for nuclear safety applications. Market analyses and feasibility studies will be conducted to identify practical uses for the high-precision timing technology.
Two senior researchers, Three Hungarian PhD students, one postdoctoral researcher and several engineers are involved in the project, responsible for translating and implementing the physics goals into hardware configurations. Electrical engineers design the printed circuit boards and develop the readout systems necessary for the sensors. The physicists test and evaluate the results, providing feedback and suggesting modifications as necessary.
Collaboration with international partners adds significant value, especially with the involvement of physicists from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and the University of Copenhagen.
Coordinator: University of Debrecen
Amount of awarded funds: HUF 392,739,973
Project title: Detectors for Imaging and Medical Enhancement
Focus area: Supporting preventive, curative, and care systems to preserve healthy living
More about the project:
The project aims to develop and refine high-precision timing detectors using Silicon Photomultiplier (SiPM) sensors and TOFHIR, H2GCROC electronics. These devices are highly suitable for applications in particle physics, industrial processes, and medical diagnostics. The project's specific challenge is to achieve a timing accuracy of 10ps, which represents a significant advancement over the current technological standards. The timing detectors will be designed and tested in multi-channel configurations to enhance performance and reliability.
In the first phase, the initial design and validation of SiPM sensors will take place. This will be followed by an iterative process of testing and optimization to refine the sensors' geometric and functional properties. The optimized sensors will be integrated into prototype detectors and tested under real-world conditions. The testing process includes beam validation to simulate actual operational environments.
The second phase of the project involves exploring industrial applications, particularly focusing on TOFPET and LIDAR systems, as well as thermal neutron detectors for nuclear safety applications. Market analyses and feasibility studies will be conducted to identify practical uses for the high-precision timing technology.
Two senior researchers, Three Hungarian PhD students, one postdoctoral researcher and several engineers are involved in the project, responsible for translating and implementing the physics goals into hardware configurations. Electrical engineers design the printed circuit boards and develop the readout systems necessary for the sensors. The physicists test and evaluate the results, providing feedback and suggesting modifications as necessary.
Collaboration with international partners adds significant value, especially with the involvement of physicists from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and the University of Copenhagen.
Project acronym: EPTIC
Coordinator: University of Debrecen
Amount of awarded funds: HUF 399,225,218
Project title: Engineered peptides to target ion channels
Focus area: Supporting preventive, curative, and care systems to preserve healthy living
More about the project:
Ion channels are transmembrane proteins that provide regulated and selective permeability for ions to cross the cell membrane. It was recognized quite early that pharmacological modulation of ion channels has a great potential in the treatment of various diseases, i.e., about 15% of drugs currently on the market modify the activity of ion channels. Peptides that target ion channels originate from venomous animals in their native or genetically engineered forms. Generally, peptide toxins are far more selective and display higher affinity for the target ion channels than small molecule inhibitors, however, their pharmacological application is hampered by several factors: side effects, the most common cause of which may be the lack of selectivity of modulators, as well as the expression of the channels in both healthy and pathological cells and the limited biodistribution, e.g. reaching the central nervous system, which is protected by the blood-brain-barrier, is drastically reduced.
Our team aims at solving the above-mentioned problems for peptide modulators of three voltage-gated ion channels. Our targets are the voltage-gated H+ channel Hv1 (important in cancer biology), the voltage-gated K+ channel Kv1.3 (target in neurodegenerative diseases) and the voltage gated K+ channel Kv7.2 and its epileptogenic mutants. We will achieve our goals by bringing together an international team with complementary expertise in animal venoms, peptide engineering, cellular electrophysiology (biophysics and pharmacology), in silico docking and molecular dynamics simulations, blood-brain-barrier permeability, and cancer biology. Using this expertise and the resources if the contributing laboratories we plan to develop peptide-based therapeutic tools for diseases affecting large populations such as cancer, epilepsy, and neurodegenerative diseases (e.g. Alzheimer’s Disease and Parkinson’s Disease).
Coordinator: University of Debrecen
Amount of awarded funds: HUF 399,225,218
Project title: Engineered peptides to target ion channels
Focus area: Supporting preventive, curative, and care systems to preserve healthy living
More about the project:
Ion channels are transmembrane proteins that provide regulated and selective permeability for ions to cross the cell membrane. It was recognized quite early that pharmacological modulation of ion channels has a great potential in the treatment of various diseases, i.e., about 15% of drugs currently on the market modify the activity of ion channels. Peptides that target ion channels originate from venomous animals in their native or genetically engineered forms. Generally, peptide toxins are far more selective and display higher affinity for the target ion channels than small molecule inhibitors, however, their pharmacological application is hampered by several factors: side effects, the most common cause of which may be the lack of selectivity of modulators, as well as the expression of the channels in both healthy and pathological cells and the limited biodistribution, e.g. reaching the central nervous system, which is protected by the blood-brain-barrier, is drastically reduced.
Our team aims at solving the above-mentioned problems for peptide modulators of three voltage-gated ion channels. Our targets are the voltage-gated H+ channel Hv1 (important in cancer biology), the voltage-gated K+ channel Kv1.3 (target in neurodegenerative diseases) and the voltage gated K+ channel Kv7.2 and its epileptogenic mutants. We will achieve our goals by bringing together an international team with complementary expertise in animal venoms, peptide engineering, cellular electrophysiology (biophysics and pharmacology), in silico docking and molecular dynamics simulations, blood-brain-barrier permeability, and cancer biology. Using this expertise and the resources if the contributing laboratories we plan to develop peptide-based therapeutic tools for diseases affecting large populations such as cancer, epilepsy, and neurodegenerative diseases (e.g. Alzheimer’s Disease and Parkinson’s Disease).
Project acronym: FRATERNITY
Coordinator: University of Debrecen
Amount of awarded funds: HUF 396,976,054
Project title: FRAmework for TEsting cooperation between autoNomous vehicles and Intelligent TransportatIon sYstems
Focus area: Supporting the green transition of the economy and the development of a circular economy
More about the project:
The automotive industry, road traffic authorities, and road operators are experiencing a significant shift toward smart, connected transportation ecosystems with advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), and autonomous vehicles (AVs). As cities become more congested with non-autonomous, semi-autonomous, and autonomous vehicles, it is crucial to adopt advanced technological solutions to cope with the challenges of organizing efficient and safe transportation for road users (vehicles, pedestrians). At present, standardization organisations, companies, road authorities, and road operators have started activities with serious efforts to specify requirements and implement and operate components, systems, and services to enhance the safety of road users. Notable documents include the directive of the European Union about Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) and ETSI specifications on the Communications Architecture of ITS. Like installing charging infrastructure for electronic vehicles, the World is still at the beginning of the road toward ITS. Therefore, it is hard to test solutions and services due to the lack of ITS infrastructure and services, especially in the domain of autonomous vehicles. The project's primary goal is to develop a digital twin, collaborative framework for stakeholders and participants based on ETSI ITS-G5 and 3GPP PC5 vehicle communication standards. The project will establish scalable environments where various scenarios and solutions could be tested.
The successful implementation of the project is a collaboration between the Faculty of Computer Science of the University of Debrecen, the University of Florida and the University of Seoul. The collaboration is based on the excellent research background and technological competence of the partners, which are necessary to achieve the project's objectives. The project results could contribute to the goals of the János Neumann Program 2023.
Coordinator: University of Debrecen
Amount of awarded funds: HUF 396,976,054
Project title: FRAmework for TEsting cooperation between autoNomous vehicles and Intelligent TransportatIon sYstems
Focus area: Supporting the green transition of the economy and the development of a circular economy
More about the project:
The automotive industry, road traffic authorities, and road operators are experiencing a significant shift toward smart, connected transportation ecosystems with advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), and autonomous vehicles (AVs). As cities become more congested with non-autonomous, semi-autonomous, and autonomous vehicles, it is crucial to adopt advanced technological solutions to cope with the challenges of organizing efficient and safe transportation for road users (vehicles, pedestrians). At present, standardization organisations, companies, road authorities, and road operators have started activities with serious efforts to specify requirements and implement and operate components, systems, and services to enhance the safety of road users. Notable documents include the directive of the European Union about Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) and ETSI specifications on the Communications Architecture of ITS. Like installing charging infrastructure for electronic vehicles, the World is still at the beginning of the road toward ITS. Therefore, it is hard to test solutions and services due to the lack of ITS infrastructure and services, especially in the domain of autonomous vehicles. The project's primary goal is to develop a digital twin, collaborative framework for stakeholders and participants based on ETSI ITS-G5 and 3GPP PC5 vehicle communication standards. The project will establish scalable environments where various scenarios and solutions could be tested.
The successful implementation of the project is a collaboration between the Faculty of Computer Science of the University of Debrecen, the University of Florida and the University of Seoul. The collaboration is based on the excellent research background and technological competence of the partners, which are necessary to achieve the project's objectives. The project results could contribute to the goals of the János Neumann Program 2023.
Project acronym: GALECTINVEST
Coordinator: University of Debrecen
Amount of awarded funds: HUF 399,785,076
Project title: New galectin inhibitor scaffolds - design, synthesis and investigation by biochemical and biophysical methods
Focus area: Supporting preventive, curative, and care systems to preserve healthy living
More about the project:
The widespread carbohydrate-binding galectins, represented in humans by a 13-member protein family, recognize ß-galactoside-containing structures of natural and synthetic compounds. They play a crucial role in both healthy and diseased organisms and are therefore of paramount importance as therapeutic targets. Interfering with the function of galectins with inhibitors could lead to new therapies for e.g. cancer, inflammatory, fibrotic and infectious diseases. Such inhibitors may also contribute to the advancement of galectin biology by serving as tools to unravel new biological phenomena or molecular mechanisms related to galectins. Although a large number of galectin inhibitors (GI) are known, their structural diversity is limited and this opens up ample opportunities to explore new sectors of the chemical space that may cover the biological space defined by galectin binding sites. In this project, we want to find new carbohydrate-based GI-s. To this end, we will design and synthesize mono- and disaccharide-based glycomimetics that have never been tested with galectins. In addition to identifying new GI scaffolds to achieve the above chemical biology goals, enhancing the affinity of the compounds towards galectins and their selectivity between galectin types is also an important goal. The syntheses will be carried out in synergy with protein crystallography and computational chemistry studies, which will provide feedback and guidance for the design of further compounds.
The project will be carried out by three research teams with outstanding expertise in synthetic carbohydrate chemistry, galectin biochemistry and GI design, and protein crystallography. Collaboration between these groups with complementary expertise will help to achieve the objectives and is essential for the discovery of new GI-s which can enter the preclinical development phase.
Coordinator: University of Debrecen
Amount of awarded funds: HUF 399,785,076
Project title: New galectin inhibitor scaffolds - design, synthesis and investigation by biochemical and biophysical methods
Focus area: Supporting preventive, curative, and care systems to preserve healthy living
More about the project:
The widespread carbohydrate-binding galectins, represented in humans by a 13-member protein family, recognize ß-galactoside-containing structures of natural and synthetic compounds. They play a crucial role in both healthy and diseased organisms and are therefore of paramount importance as therapeutic targets. Interfering with the function of galectins with inhibitors could lead to new therapies for e.g. cancer, inflammatory, fibrotic and infectious diseases. Such inhibitors may also contribute to the advancement of galectin biology by serving as tools to unravel new biological phenomena or molecular mechanisms related to galectins. Although a large number of galectin inhibitors (GI) are known, their structural diversity is limited and this opens up ample opportunities to explore new sectors of the chemical space that may cover the biological space defined by galectin binding sites. In this project, we want to find new carbohydrate-based GI-s. To this end, we will design and synthesize mono- and disaccharide-based glycomimetics that have never been tested with galectins. In addition to identifying new GI scaffolds to achieve the above chemical biology goals, enhancing the affinity of the compounds towards galectins and their selectivity between galectin types is also an important goal. The syntheses will be carried out in synergy with protein crystallography and computational chemistry studies, which will provide feedback and guidance for the design of further compounds.
The project will be carried out by three research teams with outstanding expertise in synthetic carbohydrate chemistry, galectin biochemistry and GI design, and protein crystallography. Collaboration between these groups with complementary expertise will help to achieve the objectives and is essential for the discovery of new GI-s which can enter the preclinical development phase.
Project acronym: MedLaBotX
Coordinator: Obuda University
Amount of awarded funds: HUF 399,999,780
Project title: Digital Twin-based Medical and Laboratory Robotics
Focus area: Supporting the digital transition of the economy and society
More about the project:
In collaboration with Stanford University and National Singapore University, Óbuda University leads the MedLaBotX proposal, aiming to establish a Center of Excellence in Embodied AI for medical and laboratory robotics, achieving international recognition within 3 years. Despite the efficiency of generative AI in digital tasks, there is a significant gap in applying AI to physical interactions requiring fine motor skills. MedLaBotX seeks to bridge this gap by enhancing robotic capabilities in the physical world. The proposal emphasizes ecosystem modeling, agile innovation management, and design thinking.
The goal is to develop new research methodologies at the intersection of Deep Neural Computing and realistic multimodal simulation environments, known as digital twins. This initiative will create a platform integrating supervised and unsupervised deep learning approaches and state-of-the-art simulation tools like Isaac Sim, SOFA and Blender. Focusing on real-world applications, practical use cases will drive the project, with commercial R&D projects expected to translate research swiftly. Key applications include laboratory automation and both invasive and non-invasive medical robotics. Industrial partnerships with Intuitive Surgical Co, 3DHISTECH Ltd and NOKIA Bell Labs support these developments
Coordinator: Obuda University
Amount of awarded funds: HUF 399,999,780
Project title: Digital Twin-based Medical and Laboratory Robotics
Focus area: Supporting the digital transition of the economy and society
More about the project:
In collaboration with Stanford University and National Singapore University, Óbuda University leads the MedLaBotX proposal, aiming to establish a Center of Excellence in Embodied AI for medical and laboratory robotics, achieving international recognition within 3 years. Despite the efficiency of generative AI in digital tasks, there is a significant gap in applying AI to physical interactions requiring fine motor skills. MedLaBotX seeks to bridge this gap by enhancing robotic capabilities in the physical world. The proposal emphasizes ecosystem modeling, agile innovation management, and design thinking.
The goal is to develop new research methodologies at the intersection of Deep Neural Computing and realistic multimodal simulation environments, known as digital twins. This initiative will create a platform integrating supervised and unsupervised deep learning approaches and state-of-the-art simulation tools like Isaac Sim, SOFA and Blender. Focusing on real-world applications, practical use cases will drive the project, with commercial R&D projects expected to translate research swiftly. Key applications include laboratory automation and both invasive and non-invasive medical robotics. Industrial partnerships with Intuitive Surgical Co, 3DHISTECH Ltd and NOKIA Bell Labs support these developments
Project acronym: METAPHASE
Coordinator: University of Szeged
Amount of awarded funds: HUF 399,376,747
Project title: Metamaterials-driven Photoacoustic Spectroscopy for Environmental Monitoring
Focus area: Supporting the green transition of the economy and the development of a circular economy
More about the project:
In the framework of the planned project, we will carry out research in collaboration with the University of Glasgow, National University of Singapore and Seoul National University, where we will integrate metamaterials for laser beamforming and acoustic signal amplification into photoacoustic systems developed at the University of Szeged in a world-wide unique way. Our goal is that by the end of the project, our photoacoustic systems integrated with metamaterials will be able to provide measurements at least three times (but optionally order of magnitudes) more accurately than today, in applications where we have already achieved significant successes, such as in aircraft and drone based environmental monitoring, in atmospheric aerosol source identification, in the natural gas industry and in medical diagnostics based on exhaled air measurements as well as at new application areas too.
Photoacoustic research and system development at the University of Szeged started in 1994. Thanks to 30 years of R&D activities, photoacoustic systems developed in Szeged have become a competitive alternative to traditional analytical measurement methods in many fields. The importance of our photoacoustic research and system development is confirmed by more than 1000 references to our scientific publications, considerable royalty income for SZTE from the exploitation of our patents, and several national and international awards.
At present, the biggest obstacle to the wider spread of the photoacoustic method is the fact that its concentration measurement accuracy is, for most applications, roughly equal to or at most only slightly better than that of competing methods. This situation is expected to change dramatically once the planned research work is completed, ensuring the further development and wide dissemination of photoacoustic measurement technique.
Coordinator: University of Szeged
Amount of awarded funds: HUF 399,376,747
Project title: Metamaterials-driven Photoacoustic Spectroscopy for Environmental Monitoring
Focus area: Supporting the green transition of the economy and the development of a circular economy
More about the project:
In the framework of the planned project, we will carry out research in collaboration with the University of Glasgow, National University of Singapore and Seoul National University, where we will integrate metamaterials for laser beamforming and acoustic signal amplification into photoacoustic systems developed at the University of Szeged in a world-wide unique way. Our goal is that by the end of the project, our photoacoustic systems integrated with metamaterials will be able to provide measurements at least three times (but optionally order of magnitudes) more accurately than today, in applications where we have already achieved significant successes, such as in aircraft and drone based environmental monitoring, in atmospheric aerosol source identification, in the natural gas industry and in medical diagnostics based on exhaled air measurements as well as at new application areas too.
Photoacoustic research and system development at the University of Szeged started in 1994. Thanks to 30 years of R&D activities, photoacoustic systems developed in Szeged have become a competitive alternative to traditional analytical measurement methods in many fields. The importance of our photoacoustic research and system development is confirmed by more than 1000 references to our scientific publications, considerable royalty income for SZTE from the exploitation of our patents, and several national and international awards.
At present, the biggest obstacle to the wider spread of the photoacoustic method is the fact that its concentration measurement accuracy is, for most applications, roughly equal to or at most only slightly better than that of competing methods. This situation is expected to change dramatically once the planned research work is completed, ensuring the further development and wide dissemination of photoacoustic measurement technique.
Project acronym: mirnAI
Coordinator: Semmelweis University
Amount of awarded funds: HUF 400,000,000
Project title: Development of an AI-based drug discovery platform: microRNA therapy for cardiometabolic and oncology diseases
Focus area: Supporting preventive, curative, and care systems to preserve healthy living
More about the project:
To treat ischemic heart disease (myocardial infarction and consequent post-infarction heart failure) and several oncological diseases are still unmet clinical needs. The non-coding oligonucleotide molecules microRNAs (miRNA) targeting multiple genes form a transcriptomic dynamic molecular network. Targeted perturbation of the molecular network is an option to treat diseases based on complex molecular mechanisms. We termed these miRNAs Protectomirs. ProtectomiR therapy may represent a breakthrough in the treatment of complex diseases such as myocardial infarction. Furthermore, many malignant tumour types still lack effective targeted therapies. We believe that we will be able to discover novel anti-cancer miRNAs (we termed these miRNAs AntitumiRs) using our network theoretical bioinformatics approach involving AI tools. The performance of these algorithms developed by us can be much improved by machine learning to reach an effective drug discovery enabling platform.
Therefore, the aims of the project:
Coordinator: Semmelweis University
Amount of awarded funds: HUF 400,000,000
Project title: Development of an AI-based drug discovery platform: microRNA therapy for cardiometabolic and oncology diseases
Focus area: Supporting preventive, curative, and care systems to preserve healthy living
More about the project:
To treat ischemic heart disease (myocardial infarction and consequent post-infarction heart failure) and several oncological diseases are still unmet clinical needs. The non-coding oligonucleotide molecules microRNAs (miRNA) targeting multiple genes form a transcriptomic dynamic molecular network. Targeted perturbation of the molecular network is an option to treat diseases based on complex molecular mechanisms. We termed these miRNAs Protectomirs. ProtectomiR therapy may represent a breakthrough in the treatment of complex diseases such as myocardial infarction. Furthermore, many malignant tumour types still lack effective targeted therapies. We believe that we will be able to discover novel anti-cancer miRNAs (we termed these miRNAs AntitumiRs) using our network theoretical bioinformatics approach involving AI tools. The performance of these algorithms developed by us can be much improved by machine learning to reach an effective drug discovery enabling platform.
Therefore, the aims of the project:
- Discovery of novel ProtectomiRs by our drug discovery platform and development of novel and previously discovered, validated, and patented ProtectomiRs until late preclinical phases.
- To optimise the chemical structure of ProtectomiR and AntitumiR oligonucleotide molecules in order to achieve better efficacy and safety.
- Optimise the delivery of ProtectomiR and AntitumiR oligonucleotide molecules into targeted tissues and cells using Extracellular Vesicles (EVs).
- Discovery of novel AntitumorRs by our drug discovery platform and development (efficacy and safety testing) until late preclinical phases (up to TRL6 that is a stage ready for outlicensing deal).
- Development of a miRNA drug discovery software (miRNAI) that utilizes network dynamics and machine learning algorithms for miRNA-induced perturbation prediction on miRNA-target networks embedding RNA-binding proteins and long non-coding RNAs.
Project acronym: NANO-IBD
Coordinator: University of Szeged
Amount of awarded funds: HUF 399,772,465
Project title: Novel Antioxidant Nanozyme Cocktails to Combat Oxidative Stress in IBD
Focus area: Supporting preventive, curative, and care systems to preserve healthy living
More about the project:
The goal of the NANO-IBD project is to develop new antioxidant nanozyme cocktails that effectively combat oxidative stress in the treatment of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). IBD, including Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, are chronic inflammatory diseases that are difficult to treat, characterized by alternating periods of acute inflammation and remission. Biological therapies play a significant role in managing the disease, but they are costly and have a high rate of treatment failure. Oxidative processes significantly contribute to local tissue damage during chronic inflammation. This project aims to develop new biocolloid-based antioxidant nanozyme systems to reduce oxidative stress. Enzymatic antioxidants are typically orders of magnitude more potent than molecular antioxidants such as curcumin and are expected to have significant effects in biological systems.
In the project, we will first develop new antioxidant nanozymes and their combinations with antimicrobial peptides. This will be followed by comprehensive physicochemical characterization and verification of the nanozymes' effects in in vitro and in vivo preclinical models. Next, we will conduct proof-of-concept experiments on human ex vivo organoid cultures and in vivo rodent models. Concurrently with the preclinical studies, we will systematically analyze the clinical application of antioxidants and prepare clinical trial plans.
The project partners include research groups from the University of Szeged, the University of Tokyo, and McGill University, who will work together on the development of nanozymes and the preparation for their clinical application. With this multidisciplinary research, our goal is to significantly improve the scientific and clinical understanding of IBD and develop new treatment approaches for patients.
Coordinator: University of Szeged
Amount of awarded funds: HUF 399,772,465
Project title: Novel Antioxidant Nanozyme Cocktails to Combat Oxidative Stress in IBD
Focus area: Supporting preventive, curative, and care systems to preserve healthy living
More about the project:
The goal of the NANO-IBD project is to develop new antioxidant nanozyme cocktails that effectively combat oxidative stress in the treatment of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). IBD, including Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, are chronic inflammatory diseases that are difficult to treat, characterized by alternating periods of acute inflammation and remission. Biological therapies play a significant role in managing the disease, but they are costly and have a high rate of treatment failure. Oxidative processes significantly contribute to local tissue damage during chronic inflammation. This project aims to develop new biocolloid-based antioxidant nanozyme systems to reduce oxidative stress. Enzymatic antioxidants are typically orders of magnitude more potent than molecular antioxidants such as curcumin and are expected to have significant effects in biological systems.
In the project, we will first develop new antioxidant nanozymes and their combinations with antimicrobial peptides. This will be followed by comprehensive physicochemical characterization and verification of the nanozymes' effects in in vitro and in vivo preclinical models. Next, we will conduct proof-of-concept experiments on human ex vivo organoid cultures and in vivo rodent models. Concurrently with the preclinical studies, we will systematically analyze the clinical application of antioxidants and prepare clinical trial plans.
The project partners include research groups from the University of Szeged, the University of Tokyo, and McGill University, who will work together on the development of nanozymes and the preparation for their clinical application. With this multidisciplinary research, our goal is to significantly improve the scientific and clinical understanding of IBD and develop new treatment approaches for patients.
Project acronym: NLP-DESIGN
Coordinator: Semmelweis University
Amount of awarded funds: HUF 382,527,200
Project title: Artificial intelligence based miniprotein design to target immunosuppression in cancer
Focus area: Supporting preventive, curative, and care systems to preserve healthy living
More about the project:
Immunosuppression in most cancers limits anti-cancer immune responses. Calcium signaling, involving the plasma membrane Ca2+ ATPase (PMCA), plays a crucial role in immunosuppression. Modulating PMCA function can alter Ca2+ signaling and, consequently, the immunosuppressive environment of tumors. Data suggest that the direct PMCA binding of the immune checkpoint inhibitor leukocyte immunoglobulin-like receptor B4 (LILRB4) leads to enhanced Ca2+ pumping activity and suppressed Ca2+ signaling. Using artificial intelligence (AI)-aided protein engineering, we aim to modulate LILRB4 function at two levels. We will design nanobody-like proteins (NLPs) targeting the accessible extracellular Ig-like domains of LILRB4 (1) to disrupt its interaction with PMCA and (2) to inhibit or activate LILRB4’s conventional signaling function. These NLPs will be designed in a conformation-specific manner, based on 3D-bioinformatics of Ig-like domains, resulting in therapeutic proteins with improved pharmacokinetics compared to traditional nanobodies. To minimize LILRB4 interaction with PMCA, preventing overactivation, we also propose shifting the equilibrium of LILRB4 from its monomeric to multimeric form with small molecules. The effects and mechanisms of in silico screened molecules and designed NLPs will be assessed in cell cultures and patient-derived cancer organoids, which maintain the cellular heterogeneity of the original tissue and are a superior model of human cancers. Specifically, we will develop a multiplex co-culture system to model the complex human immunological microenvironment of colorectal cancer, a leading cause of cancer mortality. In summary, this proposal outlines a comprehensive strategy that integrates AI-based protein engineering and cell biology techniques, targeting specific conformations of Ig-like domains. We will provide a foundation for novel therapeutic approaches targeting a range of cancer types, and a sophisticated organoid system for preclinical trials.
Coordinator: Semmelweis University
Amount of awarded funds: HUF 382,527,200
Project title: Artificial intelligence based miniprotein design to target immunosuppression in cancer
Focus area: Supporting preventive, curative, and care systems to preserve healthy living
More about the project:
Immunosuppression in most cancers limits anti-cancer immune responses. Calcium signaling, involving the plasma membrane Ca2+ ATPase (PMCA), plays a crucial role in immunosuppression. Modulating PMCA function can alter Ca2+ signaling and, consequently, the immunosuppressive environment of tumors. Data suggest that the direct PMCA binding of the immune checkpoint inhibitor leukocyte immunoglobulin-like receptor B4 (LILRB4) leads to enhanced Ca2+ pumping activity and suppressed Ca2+ signaling. Using artificial intelligence (AI)-aided protein engineering, we aim to modulate LILRB4 function at two levels. We will design nanobody-like proteins (NLPs) targeting the accessible extracellular Ig-like domains of LILRB4 (1) to disrupt its interaction with PMCA and (2) to inhibit or activate LILRB4’s conventional signaling function. These NLPs will be designed in a conformation-specific manner, based on 3D-bioinformatics of Ig-like domains, resulting in therapeutic proteins with improved pharmacokinetics compared to traditional nanobodies. To minimize LILRB4 interaction with PMCA, preventing overactivation, we also propose shifting the equilibrium of LILRB4 from its monomeric to multimeric form with small molecules. The effects and mechanisms of in silico screened molecules and designed NLPs will be assessed in cell cultures and patient-derived cancer organoids, which maintain the cellular heterogeneity of the original tissue and are a superior model of human cancers. Specifically, we will develop a multiplex co-culture system to model the complex human immunological microenvironment of colorectal cancer, a leading cause of cancer mortality. In summary, this proposal outlines a comprehensive strategy that integrates AI-based protein engineering and cell biology techniques, targeting specific conformations of Ig-like domains. We will provide a foundation for novel therapeutic approaches targeting a range of cancer types, and a sophisticated organoid system for preclinical trials.
Project acronym: NOEMA
Coordinator: University of Szeged
Amount of awarded funds: HUF 399,597,666
Project title: New insights into the effects of plastic nano- and microparticles on biological systems
Focus area: Supporting preventive, curative, and care systems to preserve healthy living
More about the project:
The NOEMA project aims to comprehensively analyze the impact of plastic micro- and nanoparticles (MPls and NPls) on human health. Plastics are widely prevalent in society, serving numerous valuable functions in our economy and daily lives; however, plastic waste remains a significant environmental threat. Micro- and nanoparticles produced during the degradation of plastic waste accumulate in the environment and pose potential health risks through chronic exposure. Systematic analysis results of these effects are currently unavailable, leaving associated risks and regulatory issues unresolved.
The project sets out three primary goals. The first is to develop detection methods using advanced laser and plasma spectroscopy techniques, as well as machine learning methods, to identify micro- and nanoplastics in complex samples. The second goal is to systematically analyze the health effects of chronic exposure to micro- and nanoplastics, examining their entry into the body and biological impacts at cellular and organ levels. The third goal is to support policymakers and regulatory authorities with comprehensive analyses of regulatory issues and provide evidence-based recommendations to protect public health.
The project involves collaboration with the University of Cambridge and the University of Ulm. The consortium, led by the University of Szeged, has significant experience in researching the effects of micro- and nanoplastics. The results will enhance understanding of the health risks posed by plastic pollution and contribute to the development of more sustainable practices and products. The methods developed and knowledge gained through this project will provide a foundation for future research, improve public health regulations, and help reduce plastic pollution.
Coordinator: University of Szeged
Amount of awarded funds: HUF 399,597,666
Project title: New insights into the effects of plastic nano- and microparticles on biological systems
Focus area: Supporting preventive, curative, and care systems to preserve healthy living
More about the project:
The NOEMA project aims to comprehensively analyze the impact of plastic micro- and nanoparticles (MPls and NPls) on human health. Plastics are widely prevalent in society, serving numerous valuable functions in our economy and daily lives; however, plastic waste remains a significant environmental threat. Micro- and nanoparticles produced during the degradation of plastic waste accumulate in the environment and pose potential health risks through chronic exposure. Systematic analysis results of these effects are currently unavailable, leaving associated risks and regulatory issues unresolved.
The project sets out three primary goals. The first is to develop detection methods using advanced laser and plasma spectroscopy techniques, as well as machine learning methods, to identify micro- and nanoplastics in complex samples. The second goal is to systematically analyze the health effects of chronic exposure to micro- and nanoplastics, examining their entry into the body and biological impacts at cellular and organ levels. The third goal is to support policymakers and regulatory authorities with comprehensive analyses of regulatory issues and provide evidence-based recommendations to protect public health.
The project involves collaboration with the University of Cambridge and the University of Ulm. The consortium, led by the University of Szeged, has significant experience in researching the effects of micro- and nanoplastics. The results will enhance understanding of the health risks posed by plastic pollution and contribute to the development of more sustainable practices and products. The methods developed and knowledge gained through this project will provide a foundation for future research, improve public health regulations, and help reduce plastic pollution.
Project acronym: OPTOGenetika
Coordinator: University of Pécs
Amount of awarded funds:HUF 397,380,050
Project title: OPTOGenetics, Design and engineering new generation optogenetic devices
Focus area: Supporting preventive, curative, and care systems to preserve healthy living
More about the project:
Optogenetics is an emerging field of scientific research where photoreceptor proteins are used in order to perform cellular, intermolecular tasks. Photoreceptor based optogenetic proteins are used to control heterodimerization, homodimerization, gene expression, degradation, nuclear-cytosolic translocation, controlling the function of the cytoskeleton. The project aims to design and engineer blue light photoreceptors that have good properties and can be used easily for optogenetic applications.
We will study the role of electron transfer in the BLUF domain-based photoactivated adenylate cyclases using ultrafast spectroscopy. We will fine-tune the electron transfer process in PACs and to optimize the enzymatic efficiency. We will study the photochemistry of a LOV domain based adenylate cyclase as well and will design site directed mutagenesis to improve contrast and the efficiency of the enzyme.
We will characterize the larger structural changes induced by the blue light in PACs and LOV domain proteins to find the proper optogenetic application.
Coordinator: University of Pécs
Amount of awarded funds:HUF 397,380,050
Project title: OPTOGenetics, Design and engineering new generation optogenetic devices
Focus area: Supporting preventive, curative, and care systems to preserve healthy living
More about the project:
Optogenetics is an emerging field of scientific research where photoreceptor proteins are used in order to perform cellular, intermolecular tasks. Photoreceptor based optogenetic proteins are used to control heterodimerization, homodimerization, gene expression, degradation, nuclear-cytosolic translocation, controlling the function of the cytoskeleton. The project aims to design and engineer blue light photoreceptors that have good properties and can be used easily for optogenetic applications.
We will study the role of electron transfer in the BLUF domain-based photoactivated adenylate cyclases using ultrafast spectroscopy. We will fine-tune the electron transfer process in PACs and to optimize the enzymatic efficiency. We will study the photochemistry of a LOV domain based adenylate cyclase as well and will design site directed mutagenesis to improve contrast and the efficiency of the enzyme.
We will characterize the larger structural changes induced by the blue light in PACs and LOV domain proteins to find the proper optogenetic application.
Project acronym: PAGE-HF
Coordinator: Semmelweis University
Amount of awarded funds:HUF 400,000,000
Project title: Proteomics And Genomics of End-Stage Heart Failure
Focus area: Supporting preventive, curative, and care systems to preserve healthy living
More about the project:
Heart failure remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, with significant gaps in our understanding of its molecular mechanisms. The primary objective of the PAGE-HF (Proteomics And Genomics of End-Stage Heart Failure) project is to advance our understanding of heart failure through comprehensive genomic, transcriptomic, and proteomic investigation of human myocardial and serum samples. By leveraging cutting-edge technologies, we aim to construct the largest multi-omics database of advanced heart failure to date of over 550 serum and myocardial samples collected from explanted hearts at the Heart and Vascular Center of Semmelweis University. Our Heart Transplantation Biobank already includes detailed clinical metadata and whole exome sequences of 400 patients, which will be completed thanks to a research collaboration agreement with Illumina prior to the initiation of PAGE-HF.
Our collaboration with Dr. Petr Kvapil (Institute of Applied BiotechnologiesPrague, Czech Republic), will facilitate transcriptomic measurements of the whole cohort's left ventricles, providing deep RNA expression data.
Dr. Alexander Schmidt at the Biozentrum in Basel will perform proteomic measurements of serum, left ventricular, and right ventricular samples to confirm the translation of major gene players in heart failure, while offering protein expression data on thousands of proteins. Prof. Oliver Schilling at Albert-Ludwigs University in Freiburg will lend expertise in statistical analysis, help establish a searchable research database and train researchers of Semmelweis University to allow for the local establishment of semi-automated sample preparation protocols, facilitating knowledge transfer to Hungary.
The PAGE-HF database will enable identification of hundreds of potential new druggable targets from peripheral blood and myocardial samples, set the stage for future studies and clinical applications, and ultimately improve the lives of patients.
Coordinator: Semmelweis University
Amount of awarded funds:HUF 400,000,000
Project title: Proteomics And Genomics of End-Stage Heart Failure
Focus area: Supporting preventive, curative, and care systems to preserve healthy living
More about the project:
Heart failure remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, with significant gaps in our understanding of its molecular mechanisms. The primary objective of the PAGE-HF (Proteomics And Genomics of End-Stage Heart Failure) project is to advance our understanding of heart failure through comprehensive genomic, transcriptomic, and proteomic investigation of human myocardial and serum samples. By leveraging cutting-edge technologies, we aim to construct the largest multi-omics database of advanced heart failure to date of over 550 serum and myocardial samples collected from explanted hearts at the Heart and Vascular Center of Semmelweis University. Our Heart Transplantation Biobank already includes detailed clinical metadata and whole exome sequences of 400 patients, which will be completed thanks to a research collaboration agreement with Illumina prior to the initiation of PAGE-HF.
Our collaboration with Dr. Petr Kvapil (Institute of Applied BiotechnologiesPrague, Czech Republic), will facilitate transcriptomic measurements of the whole cohort's left ventricles, providing deep RNA expression data.
Dr. Alexander Schmidt at the Biozentrum in Basel will perform proteomic measurements of serum, left ventricular, and right ventricular samples to confirm the translation of major gene players in heart failure, while offering protein expression data on thousands of proteins. Prof. Oliver Schilling at Albert-Ludwigs University in Freiburg will lend expertise in statistical analysis, help establish a searchable research database and train researchers of Semmelweis University to allow for the local establishment of semi-automated sample preparation protocols, facilitating knowledge transfer to Hungary.
The PAGE-HF database will enable identification of hundreds of potential new druggable targets from peripheral blood and myocardial samples, set the stage for future studies and clinical applications, and ultimately improve the lives of patients.
Project acronym: PFAQuatic
Coordinator: Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Scinces
Amount of awarded funds:HUF 367,162,582
Project title: Investigating environmental impacts of selected PFAS in surface waters, the aquaculture industry, and waterborne agricultural products
Focus area: Supporting the green transition of the economy and the development of a circular economy
More about the project:
Highly persistent per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), also known as ’forever chemicals’, are used in various applications, despite their unknown environmental consequences. These chemicals, prevalent in technologies where waterproofing is a key advantage, are used in producing waterproof clothing, fire-extinguishing materials, plastic additives or pesticides. The potential risks of these substances are significant, as evidenced by the newly defined thresholds for drinking water. As a result, a substantial number of PFA substances will need to be measured in all EU countries in the coming years.
There is an urgent need to address the significant lack of knowledge about the PFA substances of fish ponds, which could be affected by treated wastewater.These substances may have a detrimental effect on the quality of fish products. Fish products can be contaminated directly from the surface waters, during processing, or via packaging. Given this lack of knowledge, conducting a comprehensive analytical survey of natural and extensively or intensively utilised fish ponds is imperative. To ensure the product line's safety, the fish tissues' PFA content must also be measured. For this reason, a method for PFA analyses in fish tissues (and organs) will be developed at MATE.It is also important to fill information gaps about the human and environmental consequences of these hazardous substances. Therefore, we plan to investigate the „deep toxicity” of some important and widely used PFA compounds using beyond state-of-the-art methods (e.g. automated phenotyping; and single cell toxicology) with our international experts. This international collaboration is not just beneficial, crucial, to provide relevant information to stakeholders and decision makers.
The proposal also aims to test an innovative method at the lab scale that could be used in water treatment to reduce PFAS pollution and relieve toxic impacts by using sensitised cyclodextrin derivatives as PFAS binders.
Coordinator: Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Scinces
Amount of awarded funds:HUF 367,162,582
Project title: Investigating environmental impacts of selected PFAS in surface waters, the aquaculture industry, and waterborne agricultural products
Focus area: Supporting the green transition of the economy and the development of a circular economy
More about the project:
Highly persistent per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), also known as ’forever chemicals’, are used in various applications, despite their unknown environmental consequences. These chemicals, prevalent in technologies where waterproofing is a key advantage, are used in producing waterproof clothing, fire-extinguishing materials, plastic additives or pesticides. The potential risks of these substances are significant, as evidenced by the newly defined thresholds for drinking water. As a result, a substantial number of PFA substances will need to be measured in all EU countries in the coming years.
There is an urgent need to address the significant lack of knowledge about the PFA substances of fish ponds, which could be affected by treated wastewater.These substances may have a detrimental effect on the quality of fish products. Fish products can be contaminated directly from the surface waters, during processing, or via packaging. Given this lack of knowledge, conducting a comprehensive analytical survey of natural and extensively or intensively utilised fish ponds is imperative. To ensure the product line's safety, the fish tissues' PFA content must also be measured. For this reason, a method for PFA analyses in fish tissues (and organs) will be developed at MATE.It is also important to fill information gaps about the human and environmental consequences of these hazardous substances. Therefore, we plan to investigate the „deep toxicity” of some important and widely used PFA compounds using beyond state-of-the-art methods (e.g. automated phenotyping; and single cell toxicology) with our international experts. This international collaboration is not just beneficial, crucial, to provide relevant information to stakeholders and decision makers.
The proposal also aims to test an innovative method at the lab scale that could be used in water treatment to reduce PFAS pollution and relieve toxic impacts by using sensitised cyclodextrin derivatives as PFAS binders.
Project acronym: PLAGROSYS
Coordinator: University of Szeged
Amount of awarded funds:HUF 400,000,000
Project title: Assessment and Monitoring of Micro- and Nanoplastics in Agroecosystems
Focus area: Supporting the green transition of the economy and the development of a circular economy
More about the project:
Plastic contamination poses a significant threat to our environment and society, as addressed by the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the EU Circular Economy Plan, among other forums. In particular, the smaller size fractions, the nano- (NPL) and microplastic (MPL) particles are problematic due to their rapid spread and accumulation in ecosystems. With increasing plastic pollution globally, there is a growing concern about the impact on agricultural productivity and food safety.
PLAGROSYS focuses on the development of reliable assessment and effective mitigation strategies of NPL/MPL in contaminated agro systems. The cooperative research involves several key objectives.
Coordinator: University of Szeged
Amount of awarded funds:HUF 400,000,000
Project title: Assessment and Monitoring of Micro- and Nanoplastics in Agroecosystems
Focus area: Supporting the green transition of the economy and the development of a circular economy
More about the project:
Plastic contamination poses a significant threat to our environment and society, as addressed by the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the EU Circular Economy Plan, among other forums. In particular, the smaller size fractions, the nano- (NPL) and microplastic (MPL) particles are problematic due to their rapid spread and accumulation in ecosystems. With increasing plastic pollution globally, there is a growing concern about the impact on agricultural productivity and food safety.
PLAGROSYS focuses on the development of reliable assessment and effective mitigation strategies of NPL/MPL in contaminated agro systems. The cooperative research involves several key objectives.
- First, the SZTE Institute of Geography and Earth Sciences will investigate the pathways, distribution and behavior of NPL/MPLs in agricultural soils treated with municipal sewage sludge (composts) by field and laboratory studies with the involvement of stakeholders.
- Second, researchers at the University of Queensland in Australia will assess the impact of NPL/MPL on soil health and microorganism distribution.
- Third, the SZTE Biology Institute will assess the impact of NPL/MPL pollution on rhizosphere-crop-animal ecosystems.
- Fourth, the synthesis of a new class of extraction chemicals specifically designed for plastic collection will be performed by the research group at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne in Switzerland.
- Fifth, modern scattering and microscopy techniques will be applied to study the efficiency and selectivity of the extraction protocols at the SZTE Chemistry Institute and thus, to describe the level of contamination in different agricultural samples.
Project acronym: RAItHMA HuRelAI
Coordinator: University of Szeged
Amount of awarded funds: HUF 360,799,038
Project title: Exploring Novel Approaches to Human-Centered Reliable AI
Focus area: Supporting the digital transition of the economy and society
More about the project:
RAItHMA aims to design novel AI algorithms bringing data-driven deep learning solutions closer to human thinking. Achieving this alignment is a fundamental problem, necessary for reliability and robustness, and thus trustworthy AI. Current solutions are misaligned as they use exclusively training data patterns as opposed to coherent world models, leading to limited applicability, especially in critical domains like medicine and finance?
This proposal presents a comprehensive research plan ranging from theory to practice. Theoretical aspects include expressivity, learnability, robustness, and explainability. Practical aspects include the development of knowledge extraction algorithms for domain-specific models and theories, dialogue systems enabling user interaction, and applications to problems in medicine?
We will consider extracting latent concepts and their relationships from internal neural network representations by reverse-engineering the internal world models of the networks. The extracted model will be explained to human domain experts via human-machine interaction, such as dialogue systems. This will also enable the domain experts to define soft or hard constraints. We will propose novel training algorithms to implement and enforce these constraints, thereby creating a human-machine-aligned knowledge representation. The models created this way will become more robust, consistent, reliable, and explainable.
We will quantitatively evaluate reliability and robustness and demonstrate that our approach improves these metrics on medical applications, including image segmentation and medical question answering. At the same time, we will explore the theoretical and practical limitations of current techniques such as transformers.
The project builds on our previous work on sparsifying neural representations, techniques for AI robustness and explainability, complexity theory, human-AI interaction and natural language processing applications.
Coordinator: University of Szeged
Amount of awarded funds: HUF 360,799,038
Project title: Exploring Novel Approaches to Human-Centered Reliable AI
Focus area: Supporting the digital transition of the economy and society
More about the project:
RAItHMA aims to design novel AI algorithms bringing data-driven deep learning solutions closer to human thinking. Achieving this alignment is a fundamental problem, necessary for reliability and robustness, and thus trustworthy AI. Current solutions are misaligned as they use exclusively training data patterns as opposed to coherent world models, leading to limited applicability, especially in critical domains like medicine and finance?
This proposal presents a comprehensive research plan ranging from theory to practice. Theoretical aspects include expressivity, learnability, robustness, and explainability. Practical aspects include the development of knowledge extraction algorithms for domain-specific models and theories, dialogue systems enabling user interaction, and applications to problems in medicine?
We will consider extracting latent concepts and their relationships from internal neural network representations by reverse-engineering the internal world models of the networks. The extracted model will be explained to human domain experts via human-machine interaction, such as dialogue systems. This will also enable the domain experts to define soft or hard constraints. We will propose novel training algorithms to implement and enforce these constraints, thereby creating a human-machine-aligned knowledge representation. The models created this way will become more robust, consistent, reliable, and explainable.
We will quantitatively evaluate reliability and robustness and demonstrate that our approach improves these metrics on medical applications, including image segmentation and medical question answering. At the same time, we will explore the theoretical and practical limitations of current techniques such as transformers.
The project builds on our previous work on sparsifying neural representations, techniques for AI robustness and explainability, complexity theory, human-AI interaction and natural language processing applications.
Project acronym: RAPID-GRIP
Coordinator: University of Szeged
Amount of awarded funds:HUF 384,636,955
Project title: Rapid Identification and Response Strategies for Emerging Infectious Diseases of Global Risk
Focus area: Supporting preventive, curative, and care systems to preserve healthy living
More about the project:
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the critical need of rapid and efficient interventions based on scientific results and reliable computations for newly emerging infectious diseases. The goal of the project is to create a significantly accelerated pipeline that integrates the early analysis of outbreaks, epidemiological parameter estimation, scenario analysis, and the translation of results into public health recommendations, policy, and actions. Parallel to the international efforts to significantly speed up vaccine development and deployment, our analytical and strategic capabilities must be accelerated as well.
The collaboration between Szeged, Yale, and Kyoto enables the development of new methodologies that combine the strengths of each institution. Szeged's expertise in mathematical modeling complements Yale's impactful public health strengths and Kyoto's innovative statistical-epidemiological approaches. Through tighter integration and methodological developments, traditional epidemic models will be supplemented with social, behavioral, economic, and immunological components.
The expected outcomes of the project include new and improved methods of epidemiological analysis, as well as predictive models. Additionally, the project will create valuable know-how and services that national and international organizations can use to improve their pandemic preparedness and response capabilities. With a collaborative and interdisciplinary approach, this research will significantly contribute to global efforts to mitigate the impacts of newly emerging diseases and future pandemics. The Szeged-Yale-Kyoto joint project will substantially boost the international visibility and competitiveness of Hungarian research in the field of pandemic preparedness, and it aligns with international R&D blueprints and strategic innovation and research agendas.
Coordinator: University of Szeged
Amount of awarded funds:HUF 384,636,955
Project title: Rapid Identification and Response Strategies for Emerging Infectious Diseases of Global Risk
Focus area: Supporting preventive, curative, and care systems to preserve healthy living
More about the project:
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the critical need of rapid and efficient interventions based on scientific results and reliable computations for newly emerging infectious diseases. The goal of the project is to create a significantly accelerated pipeline that integrates the early analysis of outbreaks, epidemiological parameter estimation, scenario analysis, and the translation of results into public health recommendations, policy, and actions. Parallel to the international efforts to significantly speed up vaccine development and deployment, our analytical and strategic capabilities must be accelerated as well.
The collaboration between Szeged, Yale, and Kyoto enables the development of new methodologies that combine the strengths of each institution. Szeged's expertise in mathematical modeling complements Yale's impactful public health strengths and Kyoto's innovative statistical-epidemiological approaches. Through tighter integration and methodological developments, traditional epidemic models will be supplemented with social, behavioral, economic, and immunological components.
The expected outcomes of the project include new and improved methods of epidemiological analysis, as well as predictive models. Additionally, the project will create valuable know-how and services that national and international organizations can use to improve their pandemic preparedness and response capabilities. With a collaborative and interdisciplinary approach, this research will significantly contribute to global efforts to mitigate the impacts of newly emerging diseases and future pandemics. The Szeged-Yale-Kyoto joint project will substantially boost the international visibility and competitiveness of Hungarian research in the field of pandemic preparedness, and it aligns with international R&D blueprints and strategic innovation and research agendas.
Project acronym: REx-CLi-RES
Coordinator: University of Győr
Amount of awarded funds:HUF 399,999,982
Project title: Regional Exergy-driven, Climate Resilient Renewable Energy based System
Focus area: Supporting the green transition of the economy and the development of a circular economy
More about the project:
The project aim is to develop an integrated, automated solution based on quantified assessment of energy use situation and climate risks, which can offer solution to increase climate resilience for a given region by modelling and optimizing energy and resource value chain and consciously managing climate risks by enabling sustainable resource management. The project generates new results, which will significantly support the achievement of national climate goals, solution of energy trilemma, increase of adaptation opportunities for affected communities, raising climate resilience level and targeted development of next-generation energy storage solutions by reverse engineering. Its central element is a physical-based mathematical model, scalable from microcommunities to regions, which can determine the optimal degree and mode of self-supply, resilience to changing environmental conditions and proposed adaptation strategies through optimization of resource use (surface water, groundwater resources, energy, including renewables, electricity and heat) by using multitarget optimization. In the model the unique exergy approach is used, which considers the quantita-tive characteristics of energy and its parameters characterizing its utilization. The model provides opportunity to automatically model the energy- and resource flows of the pilot region under study and determination the optimal topology. By assessing risks and automatic determining the current climate resilience level, identifying its most important factors and exploring the impact mechanism, it will be possible to model climate adaptation challenges and offer a complex adaptation roadmap for them. The project result (model and software) will have positive measurable impact on climate resilience, renewable grid integration, energy efficiency, cost-efficiency, energy-independence and will help communities better prepare for climate change impacts, become more resilient, and adapt more efficiently.
Coordinator: University of Győr
Amount of awarded funds:HUF 399,999,982
Project title: Regional Exergy-driven, Climate Resilient Renewable Energy based System
Focus area: Supporting the green transition of the economy and the development of a circular economy
More about the project:
The project aim is to develop an integrated, automated solution based on quantified assessment of energy use situation and climate risks, which can offer solution to increase climate resilience for a given region by modelling and optimizing energy and resource value chain and consciously managing climate risks by enabling sustainable resource management. The project generates new results, which will significantly support the achievement of national climate goals, solution of energy trilemma, increase of adaptation opportunities for affected communities, raising climate resilience level and targeted development of next-generation energy storage solutions by reverse engineering. Its central element is a physical-based mathematical model, scalable from microcommunities to regions, which can determine the optimal degree and mode of self-supply, resilience to changing environmental conditions and proposed adaptation strategies through optimization of resource use (surface water, groundwater resources, energy, including renewables, electricity and heat) by using multitarget optimization. In the model the unique exergy approach is used, which considers the quantita-tive characteristics of energy and its parameters characterizing its utilization. The model provides opportunity to automatically model the energy- and resource flows of the pilot region under study and determination the optimal topology. By assessing risks and automatic determining the current climate resilience level, identifying its most important factors and exploring the impact mechanism, it will be possible to model climate adaptation challenges and offer a complex adaptation roadmap for them. The project result (model and software) will have positive measurable impact on climate resilience, renewable grid integration, energy efficiency, cost-efficiency, energy-independence and will help communities better prepare for climate change impacts, become more resilient, and adapt more efficiently.
Project acronym: SENTINEL
Coordinator: University of Pécs
Amount of awarded funds:HUF 399,667,744
Project title: Surveillance, Experimentation, Notification and Tracking of Infectious diseases with National and Eastern Regional Local Involvement
Focus area: Supporting preventive, curative, and care systems to preserve healthy living
More about the project:
The aim of the SENTINEL project is to strengthen the research infrastructure, expand capacity, and enhance pandemic preparedness in the region. The project is built on the "one health" concept, which posits that the well-being of humans, animals, and the environment are inseparable. To improve our existing surveillance system, the project targets two key elements: the field collection of relevant data and the rapid utilization of the collected data in clinical and industrial sectors.
Within the framework of the SENTINEL project, we aim to revolutionize the surveillance, prevention, and treatment of infectious diseases through the application of the most modern technologies and innovative solutions. The project focuses on two WHO-priority BSL-4 pathogens: the Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever virus (CCHFV) and the Nipah virus. These pathogens serve as models for our capacity-building initiative.
A primary goal of the project is to make the collected data immediately usable through our existing network of clinical and industrial partners, thereby facilitating rapid diagnostic and therapeutic developments. The technologies employed in the project, such as CRISPR-based diagnostic tests, isothermal PCR, and mobile sequencing protocols, enable immediate and precise field diagnostics and the generation of industry-relevant data.
Collaboration with our industrial partners ensures that the technologies and procedures we develop can be directly utilized in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. The serological tests developed using UV-inactivated viruses introduce new methods for pathogen diagnostics. The widespread dissemination of results and the involvement of the scientific community contribute to strengthening global health security.
Furthermore, the project aims to establish a sustainable surveillance network capable of quickly responding to threats from neighboring countries.
Coordinator: University of Pécs
Amount of awarded funds:HUF 399,667,744
Project title: Surveillance, Experimentation, Notification and Tracking of Infectious diseases with National and Eastern Regional Local Involvement
Focus area: Supporting preventive, curative, and care systems to preserve healthy living
More about the project:
The aim of the SENTINEL project is to strengthen the research infrastructure, expand capacity, and enhance pandemic preparedness in the region. The project is built on the "one health" concept, which posits that the well-being of humans, animals, and the environment are inseparable. To improve our existing surveillance system, the project targets two key elements: the field collection of relevant data and the rapid utilization of the collected data in clinical and industrial sectors.
Within the framework of the SENTINEL project, we aim to revolutionize the surveillance, prevention, and treatment of infectious diseases through the application of the most modern technologies and innovative solutions. The project focuses on two WHO-priority BSL-4 pathogens: the Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever virus (CCHFV) and the Nipah virus. These pathogens serve as models for our capacity-building initiative.
A primary goal of the project is to make the collected data immediately usable through our existing network of clinical and industrial partners, thereby facilitating rapid diagnostic and therapeutic developments. The technologies employed in the project, such as CRISPR-based diagnostic tests, isothermal PCR, and mobile sequencing protocols, enable immediate and precise field diagnostics and the generation of industry-relevant data.
Collaboration with our industrial partners ensures that the technologies and procedures we develop can be directly utilized in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. The serological tests developed using UV-inactivated viruses introduce new methods for pathogen diagnostics. The widespread dissemination of results and the involvement of the scientific community contribute to strengthening global health security.
Furthermore, the project aims to establish a sustainable surveillance network capable of quickly responding to threats from neighboring countries.
Project acronym: STAGE
Coordinator: Semmelweis University
Amount of awarded funds: HUF 397,919,421
Project title: Development and prototype for a novel Sigma-1 Receptor Targeted Anti-Glaucoma Eye drop
Focus area: Supporting preventive, curative, and care systems to preserve healthy living
More about the project:
Glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness, affecting 80 million people worldwide. Primary open-angle glaucoma is the most prevalent form, characterised by retinal nerve death and elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) caused by dysfunction and progressive fibrosis of the trabecular meshwork in the anterior ocular region. Patients require lifelong treatment, but current therapies are not efficient enough. The risk of blindness over time is high, so medications with novel IOP lowering mechanisms and more effective protection against retinal degeneration are desperately needed.
Previously, we identified the pluripotent chaperone protein Sigma-1 receptor (S1R) as a novel antifibrotic target. We patented various S1R agonists, including fluvoxamine (FLU), in treating renal and pulmonary fibrosis. We also closed a phase II clinical study showing the protective effects of FLU in COVID-19-induced pulmonary disease. In this proposal, we further develop our invention and prepare, validate, and patent the novel eye-drop composition within a robust international collaboration.
Pharmacokinetics and tolerability will be tested in the US; Hungary will do drug formulation and investigate its efficacy and non-inferiority over the existing treatments, and ocular sensitivity tests will be conducted in Spain. As a final outcome, we will manufacture a prototype and prepare the Investigator’s brochure for clinical studies and regulatory approval. We hope that our eye-drop could significantly improve the management of glaucoma and enhance the quality of life of millions of patients worldwide
Coordinator: Semmelweis University
Amount of awarded funds: HUF 397,919,421
Project title: Development and prototype for a novel Sigma-1 Receptor Targeted Anti-Glaucoma Eye drop
Focus area: Supporting preventive, curative, and care systems to preserve healthy living
More about the project:
Glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness, affecting 80 million people worldwide. Primary open-angle glaucoma is the most prevalent form, characterised by retinal nerve death and elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) caused by dysfunction and progressive fibrosis of the trabecular meshwork in the anterior ocular region. Patients require lifelong treatment, but current therapies are not efficient enough. The risk of blindness over time is high, so medications with novel IOP lowering mechanisms and more effective protection against retinal degeneration are desperately needed.
Previously, we identified the pluripotent chaperone protein Sigma-1 receptor (S1R) as a novel antifibrotic target. We patented various S1R agonists, including fluvoxamine (FLU), in treating renal and pulmonary fibrosis. We also closed a phase II clinical study showing the protective effects of FLU in COVID-19-induced pulmonary disease. In this proposal, we further develop our invention and prepare, validate, and patent the novel eye-drop composition within a robust international collaboration.
Pharmacokinetics and tolerability will be tested in the US; Hungary will do drug formulation and investigate its efficacy and non-inferiority over the existing treatments, and ocular sensitivity tests will be conducted in Spain. As a final outcome, we will manufacture a prototype and prepare the Investigator’s brochure for clinical studies and regulatory approval. We hope that our eye-drop could significantly improve the management of glaucoma and enhance the quality of life of millions of patients worldwide
Project acronym: TIDAL-RV
Coordinator: Semmelweis University
Amount of awarded funds:HUF 387,044,512
Project title: Translational investigation of volume overload-induced right ventricular dysfunction: from bench to machine learning-based clinical decision support
Focus area: Supporting preventive, curative, and care systems to preserve healthy living
More about the project:
Compared to the left ventricle, whose anatomy and function have been the subject of intensive research, right ventricular (RV) morphology and mechanics have traditionally been studied less.
However, several studies have recently shown the strong prognostic role of RV dysfunction in the general population and also in heart failure patients in relation to the development of tricuspid regurgitation (TR). We have built on our research group’s triad of experience and propose a true translational project with an experimental, deep learning, and clinical arm; all of them aim to explore the disease course of volume overload-induced RV dysfunction to foster preventive and therapeutic innovations in this evolving epidemic. The experimental arm's expected results will contribute to understanding the progression and regression dynamics of volume overload-induced RV dysfunction characterized by gold-standard pressure-volume analysis and advanced echocardiography. Also, the beneficial effects of candidate pharmacological therapies will be tested. Using a large retrospective database, we aim to develop a deep learning model that enables risk stratification of patients with significant TR but maintained RV function using a single echocardiographic video. Our clinical studies aim to identify novel, 3D echocardiography-derived parameters correlating with RV functional reserve and clinical outcomes in patients with severe TR. We will initiate a prospective outcome study together with our cooperating partner in Hong Kong to understand TR patients’ susceptibility to clinical deterioration. The expert centers in Munchen and Hong Kong will cooperate with us to assess candidate patients and their postoperative outcomes better for transcatheter tricuspid valve interventions. Our study may lay the foundation stone for these innovative but expensive therapies to be settled in Hungary.
Coordinator: Semmelweis University
Amount of awarded funds:HUF 387,044,512
Project title: Translational investigation of volume overload-induced right ventricular dysfunction: from bench to machine learning-based clinical decision support
Focus area: Supporting preventive, curative, and care systems to preserve healthy living
More about the project:
Compared to the left ventricle, whose anatomy and function have been the subject of intensive research, right ventricular (RV) morphology and mechanics have traditionally been studied less.
However, several studies have recently shown the strong prognostic role of RV dysfunction in the general population and also in heart failure patients in relation to the development of tricuspid regurgitation (TR). We have built on our research group’s triad of experience and propose a true translational project with an experimental, deep learning, and clinical arm; all of them aim to explore the disease course of volume overload-induced RV dysfunction to foster preventive and therapeutic innovations in this evolving epidemic. The experimental arm's expected results will contribute to understanding the progression and regression dynamics of volume overload-induced RV dysfunction characterized by gold-standard pressure-volume analysis and advanced echocardiography. Also, the beneficial effects of candidate pharmacological therapies will be tested. Using a large retrospective database, we aim to develop a deep learning model that enables risk stratification of patients with significant TR but maintained RV function using a single echocardiographic video. Our clinical studies aim to identify novel, 3D echocardiography-derived parameters correlating with RV functional reserve and clinical outcomes in patients with severe TR. We will initiate a prospective outcome study together with our cooperating partner in Hong Kong to understand TR patients’ susceptibility to clinical deterioration. The expert centers in Munchen and Hong Kong will cooperate with us to assess candidate patients and their postoperative outcomes better for transcatheter tricuspid valve interventions. Our study may lay the foundation stone for these innovative but expensive therapies to be settled in Hungary.
Project acronym: WA-for-SusMat
Coordinator: University of Pannonia
Amount of awarded funds: HUF 400,000,000
Project title: Application of Bio- and Plastic Waste of Agriculture for the Synthesis of Sustainable Materials
Focus area: Supporting the green transition of the economy and the development of a circular economy
More about the project:
One of the most important challenges today is the implementation of the principles of the circular economy in the agricultural sector. Beside biobased wastes, only a small part of agricultural plastics is collected and recycled. Even though the problem is hidden, with proper treatment, unexploited raw materials could also be obtained by reforming waste management systems and creating new material flows.
This collaboration aims the value-added conversion of plant-derived and non-biodegradable waste generated in agriculture. On the one hand, the lignocellulosic components of plant waste represent an important carbon-neutral raw material for the production of bio-based materials. In addition, the chemical recycling of polyolefin waste can be an important step that not only contributes to reducing the environmental impact of agriculture but can also be suitable for the production of valuable chemical intermediates. Within the framework of the present tender, the design and development of novel, environmentally friendly catalytic processes and technologies will be implemented, which transform agricultural and forestry waste streams into platform molecules with high added value. Catalytic reactions enable the production of compounds of great industrial importance, such as diols, dicarboxylic acids and propylene, which serve as intermediates for chemically recyclable and biodegradable polyesters and polycarbonates.
Polyethylene-based plastic waste can be converted into propylene by mild pyrolysis and the subsequent isomerization metathesis (ISOMET) reaction, which serves as a raw material for diols and dicarboxylic acids. We also aim to produce diol and dicarboxylic acid monomers from plant waste. These include furan derivatives, oxalic acid, lignin-, cellulose- and vegetable oil-based ring and straight-chain (aliphatic) diols (e.g. 1,6-hexanediol).
Coordinator: University of Pannonia
Amount of awarded funds: HUF 400,000,000
Project title: Application of Bio- and Plastic Waste of Agriculture for the Synthesis of Sustainable Materials
Focus area: Supporting the green transition of the economy and the development of a circular economy
More about the project:
One of the most important challenges today is the implementation of the principles of the circular economy in the agricultural sector. Beside biobased wastes, only a small part of agricultural plastics is collected and recycled. Even though the problem is hidden, with proper treatment, unexploited raw materials could also be obtained by reforming waste management systems and creating new material flows.
This collaboration aims the value-added conversion of plant-derived and non-biodegradable waste generated in agriculture. On the one hand, the lignocellulosic components of plant waste represent an important carbon-neutral raw material for the production of bio-based materials. In addition, the chemical recycling of polyolefin waste can be an important step that not only contributes to reducing the environmental impact of agriculture but can also be suitable for the production of valuable chemical intermediates. Within the framework of the present tender, the design and development of novel, environmentally friendly catalytic processes and technologies will be implemented, which transform agricultural and forestry waste streams into platform molecules with high added value. Catalytic reactions enable the production of compounds of great industrial importance, such as diols, dicarboxylic acids and propylene, which serve as intermediates for chemically recyclable and biodegradable polyesters and polycarbonates.
Polyethylene-based plastic waste can be converted into propylene by mild pyrolysis and the subsequent isomerization metathesis (ISOMET) reaction, which serves as a raw material for diols and dicarboxylic acids. We also aim to produce diol and dicarboxylic acid monomers from plant waste. These include furan derivatives, oxalic acid, lignin-, cellulose- and vegetable oil-based ring and straight-chain (aliphatic) diols (e.g. 1,6-hexanediol).
Project acronym: ZenctuaryVR+
Coordinator: Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design Budapest
Amount of awarded funds: HUF 399,589,075
Project title: Enhancing Quality of Life for Elderly People in Health Care Facilities through Virtual Reality
Focus area: Supporting preventive, curative, and care systems to preserve healthy living
More about the project:
In the project ZenctuaryVR+ the aim is to develop a VR application using participatory co-design tools and test this application directly on older adults in palliative care centre (FR) in the form of a feasibility study and conduct long-term randomized clinical trial on medical sites (HU).
Offering nature-simulated interactive VR application and a diagnostic tool at the same time, we will evaluate the implementation possibilities and the effects of VR in treating older adults in hospital settings. Our objective is to examine the effects of the VR intervention on mood, anxiety, and stress levels, to understand its diagnostic potential and to assess its feasibility for usability within healthcare centres. This would enhance patient care for multimorbid elderly individuals residing in hospitals and reduce burdens for healthcare staff. Such application would not only serve therapeutic purposes (such as relaxation and attention restoration) but could also include diagnostic features that might assist healthcare professionals in their daily work.
The VR proof of concept will be tested for wide range of variables in INSERM Strasbourg Translational Neuroscience & Psychiatry and Strasbourg University Hospital (20 patients) and longer exposure to the application will be evaluated in Hungarian Semmelweis University Clinics and MAZSIHISZ Charity Hospital (100 patients). The results of the project (5 papers) will be published in high ranking (Q1) medical and Human-Computer Interaction Design Journals and whitepapers as well as it will be presented at national and international conferences. The software development iterated during the project will be also ready for medical use (1 IP).
Coordinator: Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design Budapest
Amount of awarded funds: HUF 399,589,075
Project title: Enhancing Quality of Life for Elderly People in Health Care Facilities through Virtual Reality
Focus area: Supporting preventive, curative, and care systems to preserve healthy living
More about the project:
In the project ZenctuaryVR+ the aim is to develop a VR application using participatory co-design tools and test this application directly on older adults in palliative care centre (FR) in the form of a feasibility study and conduct long-term randomized clinical trial on medical sites (HU).
Offering nature-simulated interactive VR application and a diagnostic tool at the same time, we will evaluate the implementation possibilities and the effects of VR in treating older adults in hospital settings. Our objective is to examine the effects of the VR intervention on mood, anxiety, and stress levels, to understand its diagnostic potential and to assess its feasibility for usability within healthcare centres. This would enhance patient care for multimorbid elderly individuals residing in hospitals and reduce burdens for healthcare staff. Such application would not only serve therapeutic purposes (such as relaxation and attention restoration) but could also include diagnostic features that might assist healthcare professionals in their daily work.
The VR proof of concept will be tested for wide range of variables in INSERM Strasbourg Translational Neuroscience & Psychiatry and Strasbourg University Hospital (20 patients) and longer exposure to the application will be evaluated in Hungarian Semmelweis University Clinics and MAZSIHISZ Charity Hospital (100 patients). The results of the project (5 papers) will be published in high ranking (Q1) medical and Human-Computer Interaction Design Journals and whitepapers as well as it will be presented at national and international conferences. The software development iterated during the project will be also ready for medical use (1 IP).
Updated: 13 February 2025