What kind of infrastructure will EATRIS provide?
Building up and offering access to state-of-the-art infrastructure is a central task of EATRIS. Within dedicated EATRIS Centres implemented in existing high-profile research institutions, EATRIS will provide key preclinical and clinical components necessary to support the development of new diagnostic or therapeutic strategies. The EATRIS infrastructure will consist of a number of physical components, including:
- State-of-the-art animal facilities for preclinical proof of principle and proof of concept studies
- Small molecule screening facilities to identify and characterize new drug targets
- Compound libraries
- High-resolution imaging facilities for preclinical and clinical validation
- Cyclotrons to produce tracers
- Disease-specific patient and population cohorts to develop and validate new innovative diagnostic and therapeutic strategies
- Centralized GMP facilities for bioprocess development and manufacturing
- Facilities for Clinical Phase I studies
The infrastructure of EATRIS includes also the provision of expert knowledge and training.
What services will EATRIS provide?
EATRIS offers scientists in the field of biomedical translational research comprehensive services to help secure the successful and rapid development of innovative diagnostic, therapeutic and preventive products. Projects can start after a first validation of the hypothesis (proof-of-principle) as the earliest entry point, and be supported and guided up to clinical trial (Phase I/IIa).
Once a project is selected on a competitive, peer-review basis EATRIS offers access to its research centres according to disease or product. From the beginning, a project is accompanied by a multidisciplinary team and a project manager experienced in drug development and regulatory issues who will guide the whole process. EATRIS will also support the transfer of results to industry for further development.
Who can use the EATRIS infrastructure?
As part of its mission, EATRIS is open to everyone in the European biomedical research community. It will work together with users from academia, the public sector and industry to carry out translational projects of the highest quality. The primary focus of EATRIS is to serve the academic research community but cooperation between academia and industry will be encouraged.
Who can receive training by EATRIS?
Improving Europe’s translational research and the output of innovative medical applications requires excellent “brains” as well as excellent “bricks”. Therefore, EATRIS will offer training and education for scientists, physicians and nurses, technicians and science-oriented clinicians. Along with know-how and experience, EATRIS will foster a philosophy of multidisciplinary exchange in its training and education of future translational research scientists. This will lead to highly educated, experienced personnel and a better communication through all disciplines and all steps of the drug development chain.
How to get access to EATRIS?
- One of the central services offered by EATRIS is User Access, meaning that researchers across Europe can use excellent translational research resources for their already existing projects. Access criteria are:
- Proof of principle: in a first pre-clinical demonstration it must be proven that a biological process or mechanism can be targeted and potentially exploited for a new medical application.
- Scientific excellence
- Degree of innovation
- Medical need that can be addressed
- Clinical relevance / potential of becoming standard clinical practice