EU-ROS reactive oxygen species
EU-ROS applies unique approaches: First, instead of letting radicals form and then scavenge them EU-ROS identifies their disease-relevant sources to then prevent their formation or specifically repair the damage caused by ROS. Second, EU-ROS will differentiate beneficial signalling roles of ROS.
EU-ROS coordinates 6 Working Groups (WG):
1.Sources of ROS
2.Molecular mechanisms and targets of ROS
3.Drugs and tools
4.Biomarkers of redox status
5.Imaging of redox status
6.Technology transfer and Funding
Our R&D is highly interdisciplinary, and EU-ROS brings together expertise on physiological, pathophysiological, biochemical, chemical, epidemiological and clinical aspects of ROS in multiple organisms. Further, EU-ROS members provide and further develop state-of-the-art infrastructures, tools, models and technologies. Through participation of clinicians and industries, EU-ROS has access to various clinical cohorts.
Compared to the failed antioxidant approach, EU-ROS provides alternative, ground-breaking different approaches to the biology of ROS and their applications. These include:
- Antioxidants did not work clinically. This approach assumes that all ROS are bad. However, EU-ROS members already showed and will provide further evidence that low levels of ROS are essential. Interfering with these can cause reductive stress and unwanted side effects or worsened outcomes.
- EU-ROS’ preferred approach is to inhibit the disease-relevant molecular sources of ROS without eliminating physiological radical formation.
- EU-ROS’ members believe that different key sources of physiological signalling and disease-relevant ROS exist, the latter causing oxidative stress. EU-ROS will identify both, physiological and disease-relevant ROS sources in different organisms.
- EU-ROS’ next best approach is to specifically revert damage caused by oxidative stress.
- EU-ROS aims to identify patients who potentially benefit from these therapies; markers for oxidative stress will be refined or developed.
- EU-ROS will enable to localise disease processes as imaging techniques will be developed that use new imaging modalities to visualise oxidative stress. This will allow prediction of risk and patient monitoring.
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