The project, which will run for three years with funding of €4.05 million, is being coordinated by Trinity College Dublin/Tallaght University Hospital. A total of 23 partner institutions are taking part in this project.
Young researchers for scientific analysis of health data
European researchers have compiled large genomic, transcriptomic and clinical datasets from patients with chronic autoimmune diseases. Advances in information science offer unprecedented opportunities for using these datasets to explain the complex biology of these disorders, the influence of environmental factors and to personalise their management.
However, the potential use of these datasets is currently limited by a lack of researchers with the necessary IT skills and knowledge of the current data protection provisions.
The HELICAL (HEalth data LInkage for ClinicAL benefit) training network is developing a cross-sector and interdisciplinary programme to train early-stage researchers in the analysis of large datasets.
Post at MedUni Vienna researching extracellular vesicles
MedUni Vienna (Department of Pathology) will provide one of the 15 early-researcher PhD posts and will act as a secondment institution for a further early-stage researcher.
The PhD student will research extracellular vesicles at the Department of Pathology, to enable these to be used as biomarkers for ANCA vasculitis (Anti-Neutrophil Cytoplasmic Autoantibody vasculitis).
The second available post (at Vienna firm TissueGnostics) will generate automated learning algorithms for the analysis of kidney sections from 50 well characterised ANCA vasculitis patients, these sections being selected from samples previously used in morphology-based outcome studies and validating computer-generated predictors against manually analysed sections. "Citizen Science" will also be used to recruit volunteers for online checking of the images, thereby creating an additional level of validation.
Furthermore, MedUni Vienna is taking the lead on two work packages – "Structured Training" and "Communication, dissemination, exploitation & outreach".