75 applications were submitted as part of the competition for non-commercial clinical trials and research experiments. 65 applications were submitted for substantive evaluation, and 21 received funding. The total amount of funding is PLN 278,077,721.05.
The Medical University of Warsaw will receive a total of PLN 34,609,138.21 from the Medical Research Agency.
“The research of our scientists, which has just received support from the Medical Research Agency, is of a very innovative nature and may result in the introduction of innovative therapies that patients are waiting for,” said Dorota Szubstarska, MBA, Director of the Science and Technology Transfer Division of the Medical University of Warsaw, who helps scientists apply in competitions.
Slowing down the progression of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD)
The Medical University of Warsaw’s project entitled “To-Slow-DMD (treatment option aimed to slow progression of DMD)” received funding in the amount of PLN 17,995,097.59. The project leader is professor Anna Kostera-Pruszczyk from the Department of Neurology of the MUW’s Clinical Center.
About the project
Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a severe, progressive muscle disease caused by mutations in the dystrophin gene. Innovative and high-cost therapies are usually aimed at patients with a specific type of mutation (limited to several to several percent of DMD patients), while the gene therapies being developed will most likely be administered only to the youngest children. The MUW’s study will be conducted in the pediatric population, in children with a neurologically progressive rare disease.
“The molecule that we will try is a drug already used in medicine for a completely different indication,” explained habilitated doctor Anna Potulska-Chromik from the Clinic of Neurology of the MUW’s Clinical Center, co-investigator in the project, during a press conference held by the Medical Research Agency. “It turned out, thanks to cooperation with experts from basic sciences, that this molecule also has a potential to block certain receptors that are present in excess in dystrophic damaged muscles. We hope that blocking this receptor with the drug we will be testing will make the progression of Duchenne muscular dystrophy disease much slower or, maybe, bring it to stop.
The MUW’s project will be implemented in a consortium with the Medical University of Silesia in Katowice, StopDuchenne Foundation and the Polish Mother’s Health Center Institute.
The use of psilocybin in the treatment of drug-resistant depression
The Medical University of Warsaw’s project titled “A randomized, open-label, controlled trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of psilocybin in the treatment of treatment-resistant depression, administered together with SSRIs or after graduał discontinuation of SSRIs, compared to standard SSRI treatment” received funding in the amount of PLN 16,105,040.62.
The project leader is professor Agata Szulc from the MUW’s Department of Psychiatry.
About the project
The aim of the study is to evaluate effectiveness and safety of an innovative method of treating treatment-resistant depression using psilocybin, which may give patients access to a potentially faster and better therapeutic response compared to current antidepressant treatment. The test may also contribute to minimizing the risk associated with discontinuing medications, among other things, providing a chance to achieve stable improvement in one’s mental condition.
The project will be implemented in a consortium with CUD NAD UTRATĄ LLC and HOLOMIND LLC.
Identification of biomarkers predicting the efficacy of intranasal esketamine treatment
The Medical University of Warsaw is also a consortium member in the project titled “BRAKE-TRD – biomarker research for assessing ketamine efficacy in treatment-resistant depression”, which received funding in the amount of PLN 8,854,053.90. The project leader is Marceli Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology of the Polish Academy of Sciences, and another consortium member, is the Medical University of Łódź. The part of the project for which our university is responsible is headed by professor Agata Szulc from the MUW’s Department of Psychiatry. The amount of funding for the MUW is PLN 504,000.
About the project
The aim of the project is to identify biomarkers predictive of the effectiveness of intranasal esketamine treatment in patients suffering from treatment-resistant depression. Specific changes in the level of proteins in patients’ blood may be the key to predicting effectiveness of such treatment. The project may significantly improve the management of treatment-resistant depression, offering personalization of treatment and minimizing the risk of unwanted effects. It can also bring benefits to patients and the health care system by optimizing the use of medical resources, reducing the number of hospitalizations and improving the overall quality of life of patients.