Instrumental analysis of movement is fundamental important in various disciplines and sectors, ranging from biomechanical modeling to early diagnosis and prevention of neuro-muscular pathologies. It assists specialists to develop individual therapy programs and monitoring the effectiveness of adopted strategies.
In particular, wearable sensors are becoming increasingly important because the collection of a wide range of data on human body movement directly in real life conditions. Recent scientific studies have also shown that wearable sensors play a fundamental role in the early detection of neuro-muscular diseases, thus facilitating early and more effective treatment.
Thanks to the NODES project, the groups of the Politecnico di Torino led by Professor Andrea Cereatti (Department of Electronics and Telecommunications) and Professor Gabriella Olmo (Department of Automation and Computer Science), have sinergically started to develop a new generation of innovative solutions for monitoring patients in real-life conditions.
All this is possible thanks to the complementary skills of the two research groups that integrate various technologies such as magneto-inertial sensors, pressure insoles and infrared distance sensors together with deep learning algorithms.
This multi-sensor technology allows to obtain parameters that can characterize the stability of patients and therefore predict the risk of falls as well as to recognize and identify early freezing of gait in patients suffering from Parkinson's disease.
Heart failure is a complex clinical syndrome associated with disabling symptoms that worsen the quality of life and lead to frequent hospitalizations.
In recent years, medical advances in the management of heart failure have extended life expectancy but have also made the treatment regimen more complex. To prevent episodes of flare-up, for example, the person must learn to limit fluid intake, reduce salt consumption, strictly adhere to therapy and monitor weight daily.
An educational program managed by an experienced nurse, in collaboration with specialist physicians, which involves the active involvement of the patient in their treatment plan, including through a tele-monitoring system of vital parameters, could reduce hospital service utilization and improve people's quality of life and well-being.
The nurse, in fact, for his extensive expertise in the clinical and educational field, plays a crucial role in improving the ability to identify symptoms and self-manage of the disease.
After an initial mutual knowledge, the patient who will participate in the research will be contacted by phone by healthcare every two weeks. He will be supported in recognizing any episodes of disease exacerbation and educated onn the importance of adopting a healthy lifestyle. In addition, it will be equipped with a kit for tele-monitoring of weight, blood pressure, heart rate and bood oxygen saturation.
Thanks to the technology, the vital signs measured by the patient will be automatically sent to the nurse who, remotely, can monitor person's health status and, if needed, implement the necessary actions to prevent aggravation.
A biomaterial as a new fronties in medicine, extremely innovative and in step with scientific progress.
Increasingly, over time, there is a need to repair, regenerate of replace tissues or organs damaged by diseases, traumas, or due to defects present at birth or aging.
The list of diseases that can benefit from regenerative medicine is growing. This field of research allows to stimulate the body's repair mechanisms to guide and support the healing of tissues and remodeling processes. In fast, it does not treat trauma or pathology synthoms but aims to accelerate and promote the natural regeneration of tissue by stimulating autologous cells to guide processes of self-repair.
Today, tissue engineering is a type of renerative medicine making significant progress, thanks, for example, to the use of highly biocompatible biomaterial suitable for supporting and guiding the functional regeneration of tissues. This goes beyond simple wound healing, achieving true functional repair. The term ''biomaterial'' refers to any substances of synthetic or natural origin that can be used to speed up the healing process.
One of the main treatments for wound healing involves the use of hydrogel-based products derived from decellularized matrices. The term ''hydrogel'' refers to a group of three-dimensional polymeric cross-linked materials with good absorption capacity, allowing gas exchange and enhancing the granulation process of damaged tissue.
The choice of polymer is aimed at reproducing a favorable environment, thanks to its high compatibility, for applications such as cell growth and differentiation, drug administration or the release of growth factors useful in reparative processes.
On May 9, the presentation event for the cascade calls of Spoke 5 (Industry of Health and Silver Economy) and Spoke 3 (Industry of Tourism and Culture) of NODES project took place in Lecce, that make available 2.5 million euros available to Southern enterprises.
The purpose of the cascade calls is to stimulate research, development and innovation investments by enterprises (especially SMEs) to promote the creation of new technologies, products and production processes, in strategic sectors for the economica and industrial growth of the country.
Professor Fabio Pollice, the Magnificient Rector of the University of Salento, warmly welcomed the researchers from the Spokes and the entrepreneurs interested in the calls in the Conference Hall within the evocative Rectorate located in the historic center of Lecce.
Representing the Universities and the Ecosystem were the Magnificient Rector of University of Piemonte Orientale, Professor Gian Carlo Avanzi and the General Director of the NODES Hub, Engineer Chiara Ferroni; but also, the Projects Manager of Spoke 3 and 5, Professor Barbara Pozzo and Professor Marco Invernizzi and finally the Project Area Manager of Unioncamere Piemonte, Dr. Micol Crostelli.
At the end of the presentations, an interesting exchange took place with the participating companies, highlighting the significant interest generated and the importance of strengthening the relations between the business world and the University.
The Cascade Call for Line A - Mezzogiorno - Spoke 5 is open starting from today, May 15, and can be accessed at the following link.
Proposals must be submitted through the WebTelemaco portal.
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Relive the presentation
On May 5, 2023, the second session of a webinar series organized by Confindustria Piemonte, Confindustria Lombardia - partners Enterprise Europe Network italia - in collaboration with Confindustria Valle D'Aosta and NODES - North West Digital and Sustainable took place. The webinar aimed to deepen the theme of cascade calls for enterprises located in Piemonte, Valle D'Aosta and provinces of Como, Pavia and Varese.
The NODES ecosystem was presented by Raffaella Di Nardo (Research and Innovation Manager),Cristina Prandi (University of Turin) illustrated the characteristics of Spoke 2, and Marco Invernizzi (University of Piemonte Orientale) those of Spoke 5. Finally, Edoardo Braccio has clarified exhaustively the initiative of cascade calls.
The aim was to encourage enterprises in the Piedmont region to partecipate in the funding opportunities by presenting the research and innovation themes of the 7 Spokes. In particular, the cascade calls relevant to Spoke 5 were discussed and the respective modalities of partecipation in the calls for proposals of Line A and Line B were explained by Unioncamere Piemonte.
Click here to rewatch the webinar recording ? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIJEuGdbQTA
On April 18, 2023, Ph.D candidate Irene Preet Bhela, affiliated with Professor Tracey Pirali's laboratory, presented a seminar at the Department of Drug Sciences on Store-Operated Calcium Entry (SOCE).
SOCE is a complex mechanism based on two key proteins, STIM and Orai, which contribute to the regulation of calcium homeostasis.
Being crucial for numerous cellular functions such as inflammation, platelet activation, and muscle contraction, an alteration in this mechanism is linked to various pathologies.
Among these, the UPO laboratory is particularly active in researching both ultra-rare diseases, such as tubular aggregate myopathy (TAM) and Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), and autoimmune conditions like rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
During this seminar, Dr. Bhela presented the chemical-pharmaceutical contirbution in the design and synthesis of negative modulators of SOCE which led to the identification of a preclinical candidate, in collaboration with the start-up Chemlcare, and prodrugs based on its structure of the latter.
She then discussed the fortuitous discovery of a promising hit compound with dual inhibitory activity on dihydrooratate dehydrogenase- involved in pyrimidine byosinthesis - and SOCE, as a potential therapeutic approach for treating autoimmune pathologies.
The role of Stakeholder Committe and how to join.
The NODES project includes Stakeholder Committes among the bodies for managing the Ecosystem. In these initial months of the project, Spoke 5 has been actively engaging representatives from the territory belonging to different areas (innovation, sustainability and digitalization) with a decisive impact on every aspect of human life - from health to the environment, from interpersonal relationships to democracy.
Associations, venture capital firms, chambers of commerce, professional orders, Invitalia, and incubators have been invited and involved.
The Stakeholder Committe of Spoke 5 currently consists of 13 members. The Committe has held two meetings to discuss flagship projects and educational needs.
