Marie Curie Research Training Network
TRACKS
Transglutaminases: role in pathogenesis, diagnosis and therapy (TRACKS)
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Overall Aims
TRACKS is a Research and Training Network focussed on the physiological and pathophysiological aspects in humans of a family of enzymes called transglutaminases (TGases). TGases are a widely distributed group of enzymes and have diverse functions in the body such as blood coagulation and wound healing, skin and hair barrier formation, extracellular matrix assembly, cell adhesion and intracellular signalling.
TGases are drawing increasing interest because of their role in the onset and progression of specific pathologies such as celiac disease and associated autoimmunities, neurological disorders and tissue scarring and fibrosis. In celiac disease, a TG2 is the major autoantigen and is suspected to induce other associated autoimmunites such as diabetes and thyoiditis. The involvement of TGases in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, Huntington's disease and Parkinson disease and in tissue fibrosis and scarring like in diabetic nephropathy, is thought to result from a deregulation of enzyme activity leading to loss of tissue homeostasis and the cross linking and post translational modification of a number of different proteins.
Since TGases are thought to be at the centre of the pathogenesis of these different diseases they are considered an important target both for the development of new diagnostics and the development of new therapeutic agents.
The overall objective of this programme is to bring together key fragmented groups in Europe both in academia and industry who are actively working in the field of TGases with the aim of undertaking basic and applied research into the different human diseases in which TGases are involved with a view to developing new diagnostics and new therapeutic strategies that can be used in diagnosis and treatment .This network will enable the exchange of ideas, trainees, researchers, materials and the organisation of regular meetings thus providing a European Research Area in the TGases field with collective benefit and competitive advantage In fulfilling this aim and combining with the extensive, cross sectorial scientific and supporting training made possible by the Research Training Network, the programme will create a pool of highly skilled researchers at postgraduate and postdoctoral level. These researchers will have received high quality training in key generic and transferable skills and in the state of the art scientific and clinical biomedical methods which will increase their employability and facilitates their mobility throughout Europe.
