GeneH

Overview

Project Summary

Gene therapy has shown tremendous potential to prevent, treat, or even cure genetic diseases, but it still faces considerable challenges in reaching patients. GeneH is a new project funded by the European Union through the Horizon Europe program, bringing together partners from Portugal and Slovenia to advance the field of gene therapy, particularly for genetic diseases that currently have no cure. The project is led by the research group of Professor Luís Pereira de Almeida from the Center for Innovation in Biomedicine and Biotechnology (CiBB) at the University of Coimbra and emerges as a natural extension of the collaboration between the Centers of Excellence in Gene Therapy being implemented in both countries: GeneT (Center of Excellence in Gene Therapy, Portugal) and CTGCT (Centre for Gene and Cell Therapy, Slovenia), driven by the University of Coimbra and the National Institute of Chemistry, respectively. This new project is based on the Quadruple Helix model, an innovative approach that integrates academia, industry, government entities, and society, ensuring a comprehensive perspective to overcome the challenges of gene therapy. The consortium includes the following partners: University of Coimbra (UC), Instituto Pedro Nunes (IPN), Biocant, Bluepharma, Local Health Unit of Coimbra (ULS Coimbra), Coordination and Regional Development Commission of the Center (CCDRC), Portuguese Association of Hereditary Ataxias (APAHE), National Institute of Chemistry (NIC), BioSistemika, JAFRAL, Slovenian Innovation Hub (SIH EEIG), Regional Development Agency of the Ljubljana Urban Region (RRA LUR), and the Slovenian Association for People with Rare Diseases (ZOPS).

Main Goals

Through this multidisciplinary approach, the project aims to accelerate the research and development of new gene therapies, bring scientific advancements closer to clinical trials, foster collaboration across different sectors to overcome regulatory and funding barriers, promote training and education in gene therapy, and strengthen societal engagement. This multidisciplinarity not only ensures that innovations reach patients with treatable genetic diseases safely and efficiently as quickly as possible but also guarantees that patient needs are heard. Finally, it is also a crucial project to reinforce Europe’s role as a global leader in this field.

Project Details