In-vitro models & assays to identify novel therapies for neuroinflammatory diseases
Forecasted
In-vitro models & assays to identify novel therapies for neuroinflammatory diseases supports researchers developing human-centered models and assays to discover and optimize small-molecule treatments.
Funder: Merck KGaA (EMD Group)
Due Dates (Anticipated): August 2027 (application deadline)
Funding Amounts: One grant of up to €250,000 per year for up to two years
Summary: Supports human-centered in-vitro models and assays for discovering small-molecule therapies for neuroinflammatory diseases.
Key Information: Initial applications must contain non-confidential information only.
Description
Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, offers this research grant to develop predictive, human-centered preclinical models for identifying and optimizing small-molecule medicines for neuroinflammatory diseases. Parkinson’s disease is a particular motivation: approved treatments address symptoms rather than modify the disease, while existing animal models have limited translatability to heterogeneous human pathology.
Proposed models should reflect the cellular microenvironment affected by neuroinflammation, support medium- to high-throughput assays, and allow pharmacological and genomic manipulation. Applicants should show that their models capture active microglial–neuronal crosstalk, innate immunocompetence, and changing responses to inflammatory stimuli. A co-culture of patient iPSC-derived neurons and other relevant cell types is one example.
