Endothelial cell assays that model pathogenesis of Systemic Sclerosis

Systemic sclerosis (Ssc) is a complex, debilitating disease characterized by fibrosis of connective tissue. Prominent organs affected include skin as well as lung, heart and GI tract. Although the etiology of Ssc remains obscure, it is currently understood to involve an interplay between vascular damage, autoimmunity and myofibroblast activation. Given the high prevalence of Raynaud’s Phenomenon in individuals that are ultimately diagnosed with Ssc, vascular injury may represent the initial event leading to disease onset. Improved understanding of how vascular damage connects with autoimmunity and myofibroblast activation is likely to provide insights for the development of new therapeutics that can address the unmet medical needs of patients. Novel endothelial cell assays that more accurately model the disease setting are necessary in order to define potential key disease-driving pathways and identification of new targets for intervention.

The following potential approaches to answer our question include, but are not limited to the following:

• Cell culture systems including specific cell growth and maintenance conditions that enable the study of primary (healthy donor and/or patient-derived) endothelial cells and/or endothelial cell progenitor cells.
• Identification of novel measureable phenotypic or functional features (e.g. microvesicles/exosomes, secreted factors, tube formation, etc.) relevant to disease pathology in cell culture systems as above.
• Co-culture methods and conditions that allow for the characterization of endothelial cell interactions and communication with different disease-relevant cell types (e.g. fibroblasts, macrophages, epithelial cells, pericytes adipocytes).
• Identification of innovative cellular systems using primary or transformed human cells that allow for the identification, characterization and screening of pathways with pathological function in Ssc.

• Proposals focused on mechanisms of action that are unique or specific to endothelial cell lines and/or large vessel biology (e.g. HUVEC).
• Proposals focused primarily on role of chemokines and adhesion molecules.
• Proposals for cell systems lacking applications to the disease setting.

We are open to all proposals that can fully or partially meet its requirements.

If your project is selected, you will have the opportunity to directly collaborate with the Immunology and Respiratory Disease Research team of Boehringer Ingelheim. You can expect appropriate funding for the prospective collaboration period. Your exact funding request should be outlined in your proposal. As a framework, we suggest that your initial funding request is structured in milestone and does not exceed 200,000 euros per submitted project in total.

The opportunity for a funded stay at Boehringer Ingelheim for technology exchange / training is potentially available, as is the availability of custom biological tools and reagents.

Our collaboration agreement will provide full transparency about each partner’s rights & obligations (including intellectual property rights). As part of the agreement you will be encouraged to publish following the collaboration agreement (to be negotiated in good faith).

To maintain the highest degree possible in an open innovation environment, we plan to announce the winner(s) publically and feature them on opnMe.com and our social media channels. We would guide you through this process and as part of it we would kindly ask for your upfront consent, in case our scientific jury had selected your answer.

We are seeking research collaboration proposals that contain:

• A well-structured proposal outlining a new and compelling scientific idea,
• A novel, testable working hypothesis distinct from those previously published,
• Framing the questions and the innovation aspects which includes a well thought-through project plan with key decision points and budget requirements,
• Proven track record in the required field of expertise,
• Outlining the technical feasibility of the innovative proposed approach,
• A well-structured experimental plan that will be used to test the hypothesis, and potentially existing data,
• Ability to implement the outlined solution as part of a scientific collaboration project including access to a laboratory.

Please use our answer submission template to provide a 2-3 page non-confidential proposal (available for download here).

If confidential data exists that would strengthen the proposal, please indicate that confidential information is available to share under a Confidential Disclosure Agreement (CDA). If we find the non-confidential concept proposal sufficiently interesting, we will execute a CDA for confidential discussions.

We are currently seeking answers for the following scientific challenge: How do you propose improving the understanding of the role of endothelial cells in the progression of Systemic Sclerosis using novel in vitro cellular systems?

All incoming answers accompanied by a collaboration proposal will be evaluated by a scientific jury, and, upon selection, chosen proposals are pursued through a joint collaboration with the successful applicants. Initial funding of up to 200,000 euros will be available for each selected proposal.

You are invited to submit collaboration proposals also for “expired” questions including this one.