SynHealth Kicks Off in Zagreb: A Recap of Our First Consortium Meeting!

Last week, the SynHealth project successfully held its first, 1-year in consortium meeting, presentations, and workshop in Zagreb, Croatia. This two-day event brought together our dedicated team and invited experts for quite an intensive program focused on advancing preventive medicine through research and collaboration.

Day 1: Deep Dives into Science and Strategy

The first day was packed with insightful sessions designed to equip PhD students,  early-career researchers and seasoned experts, but also to give the consortium a 360° view on the achieved milestones and upcoming activities in-person. 

“CV and interview essentials”

The meeting kicked off with a practical lecture from Marianna Bevova (University of Luxembourg). She shared valuable advice on maximizing chances for PhD students and early-career researchers in the life sciences. Around 24 attendees and 15 consortium members gained insights into common pitfalls to avoid, how to enhance CV portfolios, and strategies for navigating the administrative and pragmatic aspects of entering the academic ecosystem.

Polygenic Risk Scores (PRS)

Next, Arina Nostaeva (University of Liège) led an in-depth analysis of polygenic traits. This session provided a detailed look at polygenic risk scores, GWAS (Genome-Wide Association Studies), and the use of genotype data to build individual profiles (SNP associations). Aimed at advanced students and early-career researchers, the presentation used numerous examples to illustrate the application of genetic research techniques in de-risking and observing risk trajectories for diseases like cancer. 

Glycan Biomarkers in Personalized Medicine

The afternoon began with Coordinator Gordan Lauc (Genos Ltd), who shed light on personalized medicine and how to approach it beyond genetics. He highlighted that genes account for less than 20% of longevity and under 30% of most complex diseases. Dr. Lauc introduced glycans as the ultimate layer of molecular complexity and the most neglected molecules of cellular communication, with over 250,000 glycans already studied globally. He explained how glycome composition differs significantly between individuals and how IgG glycans change remarkably with age, making IgG glycome composition an excellent biomarker for chronological and biological age. The session also described GlycanAge, a functional test based on inflammation-regulating molecules.

Autoantibody Profiling in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Following this, Ioannis Parodis (Karolinska Institutet) addressed the challenges of homogeneous treatment in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), noting that a “one size fits all” approach often results in only a 50% response rate. He explored the similarities in inflammation across various diseases and health states, emphasizing the high heterogeneity of systemic autoimmune diseases. The discussion delved into whether clusters can predict treatment response and how autoantibodies, particularly IgG and IgA daAAbs, relate to SLE activity.

Lifestyle and Biological Age: Monitoring Changes with GlycanAge Index

Lucija Gosak (University of Maribor) closed the open sessions with a presentation on monitoring changes in lifestyle and biological age using the GlycanAge Index. She detailed the Petal X methodology for gathering health status data among intervention groups (baseline vs. final values) and compared Glycan Age with a Lifestyle score (HLPCQ). While an extremely strong direct link between lifestyle change and glycan age was not observed in their initial study, limitations like the short, six-month timeframe were acknowledged for future research works. 

Work Package Presentations: First Outcomes Unveiled

The first day concluded with dedicated Work Package (WP) presentations from the SynHealth consortium members. This session was exclusively for the consortium, allowing partners to present their work in depth, unveil initial outcomes, discuss challenges, potential pivots, and upcoming tasks.

• WP1 – Demonstration of person-centred AI model for personalised interpretation of glycan biomarker data presented by Gregor Štiglić (University of Maribor).

• WP2 – Valorisation studies of Horizon results (glycan biomarkers) presented by Azra Frkatović-Hodžić (Genos Ltd).

• WP3 – Demonstration of the adoption of glycan biomarkers for personalised preventive healthcare in real-world setting presented by Sofia Shkunnikova (GlycanAge).

• WP4 – Preparation of proposals for ERDF funding presented by Coordinator Gordan Lauc (Genos Ltd).

• WP5 – Building capacity for innovation, innovation management and knowledge transfer presented by Filipa Sousa (F6S).

• WP6 – Communication and dissemination presented by Tiphaine Vigniel (F6S).

• WP7 – Project management presented by Ivana Gulišija (Genos).

Day 2: Navigating Intellectual Property

Sigmar Lampe – Workshop on IP & Knowledge Transfer

The second day focused on the critical aspects of Intellectual Property (IP) and knowledge transfer.

Foundations of Intellectual Property & Knowledge Transfer & its Relevance to SynHealth

Sigmar Lampe (University of Luxembourg) led a four-hour interactive workshop on Intellectual Property. The session covered various types of IP, including collected data (EU-specific, automatically existing), external appearance, and trademarks. The workshop was structured around four main angles:

• Foundations of Intellectual Property & its Relevance to SynHealth

• IP Management within the SynHealth Consortium

• Valorisation and Exploitation Strategies for SynHealth’s Impact

• Building a SynHealth Valorisation Action Plan

Examples like Nokia vs. Apple over ringtones, the ownership of musicians’ works etc were used to illustrate key concepts. The versatility of patents was also highlighted. With 26 participants, this hands-on workshop successfully closed the two-day event, equipping the consortium with essential knowledge for valorizing SynHealth’s impactful work.

The SynHealth consortium meeting in Zagreb marked a highly successful and productive milestone for the project. The consortium was lifted up by the insights gained, the collaborations fostered, and the clear path forward for advancing personalized preventive healthcare.
Stay tuned for more updates as we continue our journey!