European Union to Set up New Discovery Centre

European Union officials have awarded a EUR10.7mn (US$13.95mn) five-year grant to a new discovery project, known as EICOSANOX, to be managed under the auspices of Sweden's Karolinska Institutet. The project will create a network comprising academic research groups from Sweden, Germany, Italy, the UK, Ireland and Spain, as well as a Canadian team and two biotech firms.

The research is to focus on enzymes linked to prostaglandins, leukotrienes and nitric oxide, which are leading causes of diseases such as cardiovascular disorders, atherosclerosis, dementia and cancer. Notably, the research on prostaglandins will concentrate on developing treatments in the same therapeutic area as Cox-2 inhibitors, and is expected to pool expertise on possible alternatives to the controversial drugs.