On 19 June, the RECOGNISED project (Retinal and cognitive dysfunction in type 2 diabetes: unravelling the common pathways and identification of patients at risk of dementia) held its General Assembly meeting online. Bringing together 21 project partners from academia, SMEs and patient organisations, RECOGNISED aims to evaluate whether non-invasive retinal tests could be used to identify people with type 2 diabetes (T2D) who are at a higher risk of developing mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia.
Prof. Rafael Simo (Vall d’Hebron Research Institute/VHIR), coordinator of the RECOGNISED project, kicked off the General Assembly by welcoming all project collaborators to the meeting. With Prof. Noemi Lois (Queen’s University, Belfast) and Dr. Pascal Kahlem (VHIR), Prof. Simo gave a status report on the project, emphasising that work is continuing in spite of the lockdown measures for COVID-19. Following on from the introductory session, two parallel sessions were held on the clinical and preclinical aspects of RECOGNISED, led by Prof. Noemi Lois and Prof. Alan Stitt, respectively. During the clinical session, each clinical partner provided a brief overview on the progress of the cross-sectional and prospective clinical research studies that will form a key part of the RECOGNISED project. These studies will investigate the retina structure and cognitive status of older people with T2D, aiming to establish retinal biomarkers that could identify those at risk of developing cognitive impairment. The preclinical session followed a similar structure, with participants discussing the -omics andin vivostrategies that will be employed to identify the key molecular mechanisms that cause retinal dysfunction associated with type 2 diabetes and cognitive impairment.
Next, leaders of the dissemination & exploitation workpackage (EATRIS and Genesis Biomed) discussed the commercial exploitation strategies for RECOGNISED results, including how intellectual property aspects will be managed. Following on from this presentation, AE and International Diabetes Federation – Europe (IDF-E), representing people with dementia and diabetes, respectively, gave an overview of the communications activities for RECOGNISED. These include the creation of a website and twitter channel, development of press releases and project leaflets, and drafting of a communications plan. Prof. Simo then drew the meeting to a close, thanking all the participants for their active contribution to the meeting.
Angela Bradshaw represented Alzheimer Europe at the RECOGNISED project kick-off meeting. The RECOGNISED project receives funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 847749.
Further information on the RECOGNISED project can be found here: www.recognised.eu
