Ερευνητικά Αποτελέσματα Ελλήνων Ερευνητών - Europedirect

Broccoli sprout extracts contain a molecule that activates a chemical pathway controlling the development of obesity. European researchers have investigated the exact role of this chemical, Nrf2.

The ADIPONRF2 (Targeting the Keap1/Nrf2 pathway in adipose tissue for obesity prevention and treatment) project looked into how manipulation of Keap1/Nrf2 signalling in adipose tissue affects the development of obesity and metabolic syndrome.

An EU-funded initiative has taken steps to reinforce the international dimension of EU Framework Programmes (FPs). The effort represents a standing drive to stay abreast of research and innovation as emerging economies continue to push to the forefront in knowledge generation and dissemination.

Scientists are making Europe's groundwater safer by studying and modelling how a metal that poses a cancer risk when ingested contaminates aquifers in high-risk areas of Europe.

Hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) is a chemical compound found in products ranging from textile dyes to anti-corrosion coatings. Classified as a human carcinogen, Cr(VI) is also naturally present in the soil and rocks of many populated areas around Europe.

Researchers from multiple disciplines at the University of Patras (UPAT) are working together to turn the institution into a frontrunner of scientific research.

UPAT is an eminent education and research organisation in Greece. It is considered the premier academic institution in western Greece, and has recruited high-quality researchers in the fields of Life Sciences.

Breast cancer constitutes the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in women. New studies indicate that targeting cancer stem cells might revolutionise cancer treatment.

Despite advances in diagnosis and treatment, breast cancer is associated with increased relapse. This is mainly from intrinsic and acquired resistance to endocrine therapy, pointing towards the presence of a subpopulation of cancer stem cells (CSCs). CSCs are believed to be responsible for cancer emergence and maintenance as they have the capacity to self-renew.

EU-funded researchers have studied the interaction between social scientific and everyday lay discourses – how social scientific discourses are synthesised, filtered back to lay discourses and then taken up by lay social actors. This was done through a review of social science texts on three areas of increasingly global importance: identity, citizenship and migration.

A consortium of European and South American researchers has investigated novel natural products (NPs) to discover bioactive therapeutic molecules for the treatment of neglected diseases.

Scientists explored biodiversity hotspots for bioactive compounds from NPs that could be used in the treatment of disease. Up to now, however, this search has somewhat neglected rare parasitic illnesses like ulcerous Leishmaniasis and Chagas disease.

An EU initiative promoted EU partnership with Mediterranean countries in the energy sector, thus developing a common knowledge and innovation space and providing secure, clean and efficient energy.

The transition to a reliable, sustainable and competitive energy system requires the EU to overcome challenges like increasingly scarce resources, growing energy needs and climate change. This especially holds true for Mediterranean Partner Countries (MPCs).

An innovative study has explored the relations between contemporary Irish and Greek poetry including translation and landscape writing. It examined modern links between the two countries neglected by research focused so far on antiquity.

An EU-funded project, IRELLAS (The Greek connection: Irish poets and contemporary Greece), explored the literary relations between Ireland and Greece as related to work and travel. Project publications, lectures and presentations focused on Irish poets Seamus Heaney and Derek Mahon and the Modern Greek poets C.P. Cavafy and George Seferis.

Advanced materials are behind most everyday applications and the technologies that have revolutionised the way of life of people everywhere, yet they remain largely unknown to the general public. An EU initiative got people thinking about their far-reaching effects.

The importance of advanced materials in daily life is overlooked because of the focus placed on their end products, from cars to smartphones. There is no consideration for the materials that enable these technologies and deliver solutions for a sustainable, healthy and safe world.

An EU-team has helped set the direction for integration of Europe's emergency communication networks. The study produced a roadmap outlining concepts for a field broadband network separate from regular infrastructure.

With human-caused natural disasters on the increase, governments must use their response resources more efficiently. One area for improvement is better integration and cooperation within emergency services at national, European and international levels.

The technical, economic and social feasibility of retrofitting zero energy-zero emission solutions to urban buildings in Greece has been studied as part of an EU-funded initiative.

The URBAN RECREATION (Energy efficient retrofit for carbon zero and socio-oriented urban environments) project explored the possibility of retrofitting zero energy and nearly zero emissions in existing real urban environments (RUE). Researchers also studied innovative architectural solutions for achieving nearly zero energy in existing built environments.

An EU-funded consortium has designed and developed novel polymer-based composites for coating ship hulls and other marine applications.

One of the greatest obstacles to the effective use of nano-structured carbon for reinforcing polymer matrix composites is the way it clumps together. This results in its poor dispersion throughout the matrix.

Further details: Better antifouling coatings for ships

Research on human diseases requires multidisciplinary approaches and high-throughput analysis. To achieve these, state-of-the-art infrastructure and experienced personnel are major prerequisites.

Over the years, the University of Crete Medical School, in the south of Greece, has made concerted efforts to establish a multidisciplinary scientific environment to foster excellence in research. The School's vision was to study areas of major biomedical importance, such as stem cell biology and autoimmune, cardiovascular, malignant and degenerative diseases.

Hydrogen gas can be stored at low pressure through a chemical reaction with a hydrogen-absorbing alloy whereby a solid metal hydride is formed. EU-funded researchers developed storage and compression systems based on metal hydrides for various applications.

The researchers working on the ATLAS-H2 (Advanced metal hydride tanks for integrated hydrogen applications) project developed tank systems for solid-state storage of hydrogen and hydrogen compression.

An EU initiative enhanced cooperation between the EU and South Africa by supporting the latter's participation in Horizon 2020 and reciprocal EU participation in South African research programmes. New joint science and technology initiatives were also initiated.

The EU and South Africa have a long history of cooperation, be it in trade or research and innovation. Horizon 2020, the biggest EU research and innovation funding programme ever, presents an ideal opportunity for further EU-South Africa cooperation.

A new, remote, multi-parametric management system that supplies adaptive feedback on people with cognitive impairment promises to be a lifeline to a more independent lifestyle.

In line with the hike in average life expectancy across the globe, there has been a parallel increase in the incidence of dementia. Whilst waiting for a sustainable cure for all of its forms, it has become paramount to develop personal health support systems for the integrated monitoring of behaviour with medical data that enables effective care for patients with this condition.

An innovative project has worked to develop and improve fabric reinforcements for aircraft cooling units.

Using cyanate ester resin in fabric reinforcement for plenums (a part used in an air cooling unit) has multiple advantages. Some of these include high thermal stability, toughness, low moisture uptake and radiation resistance. However, the manufacturing of these plenum parts is not reliable. Some of the main problems include diversities, porosity and pink coloration.

Soil conditions play a key role in damage to new or existing structures during earthquakes. An EU initiative has introduced new models and approaches to tackle practical engineering problems related to soil-foundation-structure interaction (SFSI).

Tendons are fibrous connective tissues composed mostly of collagen type I fibres. The TENDON REGENERATION project developed collagen-based biomimetic scaffolds for the treatment of tendon injuries that are not only painful, but also disabling, as they take a long time to heal.

The EU-funded TENDON REGENERATION (Targeting functional tendon regeneration using a loaded biomimetic scaffold. An integrated pan-European approach) project was a collaboration between industry and academia. Their goal was to develop a 3D scaffold that mimics natural tendons and promotes tendon healing.