The European Union (EU) has awarded the prestigious Horizon Europe Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Doctoral Network to the RESPIRE-EXCEL project. This pioneering initiative aims to revolutionise the treatment of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Asthma and COPD are common chronic respiratory diseases that represent a significant social and economic burden. Traditionally, treatment of these conditions has been based on a "one-size-fits-all" approach, which often suppresses symptoms without achieving actual health improvement. RESPIRE-EXCEL aims to change this by introducing precision medicine tailored to individual patients. The project trains a new generation of translational and medical scientists in cross-sectoral competencies and multidisciplinary knowledge, so that they can effectively collaborate with industry, healthcare and academia to develop precision medicine for asthma and COPD. The RESPIRE-EXCEL consortium has many academic, industrial and societal partners from all over Europe, including the patient organization European Lung Foundation and the largest European scientific and clinical organization in respiratory medicine, the European Respiratory Society.
The objectives of the network are as follows:
Prof Martijn Nawijn (University Medical Center Groningen), project coordinator, emphasises the urgency of this work: "Our vision is to transform current generic treatment methods into precision medicine for patients with asthma and COPD. By training the next generation of scientists, we are equipping them with the skills and competences needed to tackle the complexity of these diseases."
The RESPIRE-EXCEL project illustrates the power of interdisciplinary collaboration and highlights the essential role of precision medicine in improving health outcomes for patients with asthma and COPD.
