PROJECT

ABOUT

01

EU-funded project

PARENT is an EU-funded project that envisions a multidisciplinary approach to challenge early diagnosis of newborn motor/cognitive impairments. It is part of the European Innovative Training Networks programme, in the form of collaborative European Training Network (a competitively selected joint research training and doctoral programme).

02

Multidisciplinary network

PARENT combines the efforts of a multidisciplinary network of leading European research groups, industry partners, paediatric hospitals and parent’s associations to develop a technological infrastructure that will train Early Stage Researchers (ESR) to conduct top-notch research in leading academic institutions, hospitals and industry R&D divisions. During the research there will be strong emphasis on career development and on achieving impact.

03

Multidisciplinary approach and technologies

PARENT multidisciplinary approach and technologies will make a critical contribution towards an open neurodevelopmental disease diagnostic software infrastructure by interlinking disciplines from clinical data, neuroimaging collection and processing, biomarkers, data fusion, machine learning applied to clinical data, novel prediction algorithms.

04

Precision medicine

PARENT approach can be included in the more general paradigm of evidence-based medicine, precision medicine and patient center-care, as well as decision support systems in clinical field.

OBJECTIVE

Prematurity exponentially increases the risk for an altered neurodevelopmental outcomes in childhood and adolescence. Many survivors children, face a lifetime of disability. Despite the advances in neonatal care have greatly improved survival of preterm born infants even at extremely low gestational ages we are now at a period of steadiness where no further improvement in long-term neurodevelopmental outcome is seen. The impact of these sequelae affects not only at a personal and familiar level but also poses a significant burden on society. Early diagnostics of brain injury and/or brain dysmaturation as well as early detection of impairments are important strategies to improve the well-being of children and their families allowing for developmental monitoring and medical evaluation of the specific type of disorder that affects a child and optimize therapeutics options.
In this context, PARENT is a vision for a multidisciplinary approach to develop diagnostic and predictive platforms focused on newborn motor/cognitive impairments.

PARENT will make a critical contribution towards an open neurodevelopmental disease diagnostic software infrastructure by interlinking disciplines from clinical data, neuroimaging collection and processing, biomarkers, data fusion, machine learning applied to clinical data, novel prediction algorithms. To best leverage the data potential, PARENT envisions an easy-to-use software infrastructure which provides integrated databases, validated algorithms components and platforms built upon them. This vision can be included in the more general paradigm of evidence-based medicine, personalized medicine and patient center care, as well as decision support systems in clinical field.
PARENT combines the efforts of a multidisciplinary network of 10 leading European research groups, industry partners, pediatric hospitals and parents’ association to develop a technological infrastructure that will train 15 Early Stage Researchers..

PROJECT’S DETAILS

Starting date

1 November, 2020

Coordinator

Marco Agostino Deriu

Coordinator

Politecnico di Torino

Project officer

Maja Kamceva

Grant Agreement

956394

Funding Institution

H2020-EU.1.3.1.

Funding scheme

MSCA-ITN-ETN – European Training Networks

Total number of enrolled ESR

15

Requested EU contribution

€ 3 835 853,28

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATORS

Politecnico di Torino

Marco Agostino Deriu

Universidad de Cadiz

Lionel Cervera

Univerza v Ljubljani

Aleksander Sadikov

Fundación para la Gestión
de la Investigación Biomédica de Cádiz

Isabel Benavente-Fernandez

Katholieke Universiteit Leuven

Els Ortibus

Ospedale Pediatrico Bambino Gesù

Lorenzo Galletti

NEUS Diagnostics

Vida Groznik

7HC

Daria Amoroso

ICOMETRIX NV

Thibo Billiet

TOELT GmbH

Umberto Michelucci

GPI S.P.A.

Antonio Colangelo

Key Objectives


Lead beneficiary
10

Lead beneficiary
10

Lead beneficiary
10

Lead beneficiary
10

Lead beneficiary
10

Reliable neuroimaging and other clinical and biochemical markers for detecting high risk infants would be critical in order to take advantage of infant neuroplasticity and improve motor and/or cognitive outcomes through effective therapies. Instead, the classical diagnosis of neurological disfunction on premature infants, is yet based upon clinical monitoring of development (by neuroimaging data, neurological and motor assessments), pointing toward possible signs of impairments as proof of an altered neurodevelopmental trajectory (NDTrj).

Despite the advances in neonatal care have greatly improved survival of preterm born infants even at extremely low gestational ages, we are now at a period of steadiness where no further improvement in long-term neurodevelopmental outcome is seen.

Enhancing technologies for detection and rationalization of clinical data from premature infants and follow-ups of newborn at risk for neurological injury, is therefore a necessary step to improve the long-term quality of life and lowering the social cost for the community.

Back to top