Four highly-interdependent Working Groups (WGs) were formed at the start of the Action to update, discuss and bring forward those important topics in ME research, as detailed in the associated Tasks.All participants of the Action will be invited to join at least one of the WGs, depending on their research interests. The WGs will meet twice per year, if funds allow, and the first meeting every year will be combined with the MC meeting.
Additionally meetings, when relevant, will be through teleconference, Skype or a similar means of communication. The Action will combine these WG meetings as participants will typically work on more than one aspect (i.e. more than one WG) and isolated meetings would hinder scientific exchange.
WG leader: Bernd Giebel
Co-WG leader: Stefano Fais
Aims:
Translation of preclinical findings into medical applications is of upmost socio-economical impact but generally suffers from poor communication and exchanges between researchers, clinicians and industries. This Action will provide the necessary platform to facilitate the transfer of knowledge between these groups, advancing on successes from appropriate research performed by individual groups scattered throughout Europe.
WG leader: Edit Buzas
Co-WG leader: Irina Nazarenko
Aims:
In a similar vein to determining the physiological relevance of ME, data already generated by Action members on MEs in disease and deemed suitable for integrating and/or directly comparing will be co-assessed in order to determine the breadth of our collective understanding of the pathophysiological role(s) of ME. Again, subsequent studies will leverage from both the positive data and also data deemed to be negative (learn from mistakes and build on our collective strengths) to more comprehensively understanding the relevance of ME in diseases. Based on the expertise of the current participants and being realistic with timing (we cannot address all issues together!), the initial diseases considered will be cancer, allergy, autoimmunity and neurodegenerative diseases, although an open-policy is intended – both to learn from and to contribute to research arising from MEs in other diseases.
WG leader: Fransisco Sanchez-Madrid
Co-WG leader: Pia Siljander
Aims:
As is the situation described for WG1, very good research has been done throughout pockets on Europe indication microvesicles and/or exosomes have a role to play in normal, healthy conditions, including communication necessary for immune-protection, embryonic- and other stem celldifferentiation, platelet function, embryonic cell-derived, etc. So, in the context of above, data from COST Action members’ prior research considered suitable for integrating and/or directly comparing will be co-analysed in order to establish the breadth of our collective understanding of the physiological role(s) of ME. This will form a solid foundation to advance upon in follow-on collaborative efforts exploring the role of these vesicles under normal, healthy circumstances.
WG leader: Villem Stoorvogel
Co-WG leader: Clotilde Thery
Aims:
The various defining terms and methods for ME isolation, verification and analysis will be considered by all interested members of this Action to reach a consensus on the most appropriate terminology and methods moving forward. As detailed more below, this challenge is of fundamental importance and due consideration will be given to this when interpreting data related to Challenges 2-4 below. Furthermore, if and when new techniques for ME isolation and analysis become available, knowledge of these will be exchanged at the earliest stage possible among members of the COST Action.
