Cysteinyl leukotrienes (CysLTs) are potent lipid mediators of inflammation. CysLT1 and 2 receptors are widely expressed e.g. lungs, colorectum, heart, brain & eye; and CysLT1 antagonists are prescribed to treat airway inflammation. Excitingly, CysLT signalling was recently discovered to regulate the biology of vascular, neuronal and cancer cells underpinning its untapped therapeutic potential in other diseases. CRYSTAL3 interconnects unique and diverse researchers to create a multidisciplinary team sharing expertise and research capacities. The contribution of CysLT signalling to disease is divulged; its therapeutic potential unlocked and new services & products commercialised. This is delivered by staff exchanges to jointly research Ocular & Central Nervous System (CNS), Cardiovascular system (CV) and Cancer diseases. The R&I goal of CRYSTAL3 is to reduce human disease burden by enhancing EU capability and knowledge-sharing in research and commercialisation. This is achieved through advanced international co-operation between 5 academic and 5 non-academic partners, in 7 countries. The focus is on innovative research into the CysLT signalling pathway in human diseases related to the Ocular-CNS, & CV systems and Cancer (OCCC). The 3 overall objectives of CRYSTAL3 are: A) Combine resources to discover novel pathological mechanisms linking cysteinyl leukotriene signalling to ocular, central nervous system, cardiovascular disease and cancer (OCCC). B) Unite partner capacities to uncover the therapeutic potential of cysteinyl leukotriene signalling in ocular, central nervous system, cardiovascular disease and cancer (OCCC). C) Commercialise products and services co-developed within CRYSTAL3 The CRYSTAL3 consortium tackles these challenges by promoting cross-sector, inter-European R&I staff exchanges among participants with expertise in OCCC disease, computational drug discovery, genetic engineering, pre-clinical disease models, marketing and commercialisation.

Severe ocular disorders are affecting the lives of more than 100Mill people world-wide and at least 25% of the population above 70 years of age, a growing demographic group in EU. More than 8 million people lose their lives to cancer every year, making cancer a leading cause of pre-mature mortality in the world. The main hallmarks of severe eye conditions (i.e angiogenesis, inflammation and vascular permeability) play also pivotal roles in cancer, being therapeutic targets to treat both kind of diseases. The overall goal of 3D-NEONET is the improvement of available treatments for cancer and ocular disease by enhancing drug discovery-development and delivery to targeted tissues, through advanced international co-operation between academic and non-academic partners. The interdisciplinary expertise provided by 18 partners in 7 countries encompasses among others: drug screens, ADME, toxicology, preclinical models, nanotechnology, biomaterials and clinical trials. After the success with ongoing FP7-IAPP project 3D-NET (Drug Discovery and Development of Novel Eye Therapeutics; (www.ucd.ie/3dnet), we are assembling 3D-NEONET, this enlarged European interdisciplinary consortium that will join forces and exchange skills to enhance current therapies in oncology and ophthalmology. The 3 global objectives of 3D-NEONET are: 1- Enhance the discovery and development of novel drugs, targets and biomarkers for ophthalmology and oncology. 2- Improve the Delivery of Therapeutics for Oncology and Ophthalmology 3- Enhancement of Research, Commercial and Clinical Trial Project Management Practices in these fields. Through participation in the program, 3D-NEONET is the vehicle for driving synergies between academic and non-academic participants leading to increased scientific and technological excellence as well as tangible innovative outputs that will strengthen the competitiveness of both the researchers and industries of the network even beyond the lifetime of the network.

Scientists of our company invented a method for diagnosing and monitoring the effectiveness of dry-eye syndrome treatment. The invention is related to a method for diagnosing the Dry Eye syndrome in patients and monitoring the effectiveness of the treatment, by measuring the concentration of a molecule called diadenosine tetraphosphate dinucleotide (Ap4A). Ap4A is an intracellular signal molecule that is produced due to harsh environmental factors. According to our studies published since 2002, Ap4A is released from the corneal epithelium, stimulating tear production and is a physiological modulator of tear secretion. Most importantly we discovered that levels of Ap4A are up to 5 times above normal levels in patients with Dry Eye compared to patients with normal lacrimation. This increase is even higher in Dry Eye individuals with low tear production. In these cases the Ap4A is increased over 100 fold. Following this discovery we patented a method to measure the concentrations of Ap4A of tear samples from patients in order to determine its presence, which is abnormally high in the case of Dry Eye syndrome. According to this method it is possible objectively to confirm or to discount the presence of this pathology. The diagnostic method of this invention comprises: detection by means of the high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) technique of the Ap4A molecule, for the purposes of the calculation of which use will be made of a standard sample of Ap4A of commercial origin and of known concentration; and the use of a luminometric method for the detection and quantification of the Ap4A dinucleotide by means of the use of luciferin luciferase. We already effectively tested the method in vitro and in vivo on Dry Eye animal models. Recently we made a successful first stage trial in a small number of patients. Our future actions include the collaboration with industry partners, expert on biomarkers, in order to create a small detection kit.

Diseases of the posterior segment of the eye are increasing considerably, partly due to an ageing population (almost 20% of the population of Europe now over 65). Despite accounting for approximately 55% of ocular conditions, only 5% of ocular product sales target the posterior segment due to the technical difficulties in developing safe, effective and easy-to-use formulations. Age-related Macular Degeneration and Diabetic retinopathy are some of the main cause of blindness and severe impairment of vision in patients. These diseases represent a considerable burden on patients and healthcare systems throughout the world. ORBITAL has the primary objective of recruiting excellent early stage researchers (ESRs) and developing the next generation of research leaders and drivers. There is a clear unmet clinical need for efficient, safe, non-invasive and patient-friendly strategies for the treatment of prevalent diseases of the posterior segment of the eye. With a necessary collaborative network of European and global experts, from academic, clinical and industrial sectors, ESRs will be exposed to an integrated and complementary network of expertise in materials science, nanotechnology, animal modeling, enhanced in-vitro testing, analytical chemistry and drug discovery. ORBITAL will build an intersectoral consortium with extensive experience in generating innovative technologies and training new researchers. ESRs will be exposed to a broad scientific landscape of complementary disciplines. With the combined skills and knowledge of the consortium, ESRs will be provided with the network, skills and knowledge to develop their careers while the extensive mobility of researchers will lead to increased knowledge transfer and collaborative research