From 3 to 5 December 2025, researchers from four partner universities gathered in Angers for the mid-term meeting of the Pro-BRAIN project, supported by seed funding from the
EU GREEN alliance.
Coordinated by the University of Parma (Italy), Pro-BRAIN also brings together the University of Évora (Portugal), the University of Angers (France), and the Atlantic Technological University – ATU (Ireland). This in-person meeting represented an important milestone for the collaborative research project. It provided an opportunity to review progress, compare scientific approaches and anticipate the next phases of the project.
“These in-person meetings are essential: they mark key milestones and really help move the project forward. Exchanges are not the same as when we are remote, and that changes the way we work together,” explains Marc Ferré, lecturer in molecular biology and bioinformatics at the University of Angers.
A research project on neurodegenerative diseases
The Pro-BRAIN project (Protein misfolding and aggregation in Neurodegenerative Diseases: an integrated approach of BioinfoRmAtics and bIochemistry towards the use of Natural compounds as novel therapeutic strategies) focuses on neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease, combining approaches from bioinformatics, data analysis, artificial intelligence and biochemistry.
Its ambition is to identify plant-derived natural compounds that could contribute to neuronal protection and open up new therapeutic research pathways.
A collaboration built on complementary expertise
Pro-BRAIN is based on the pooling of diverse scientific expertise within the consortium.
Teams from the University of Angers and ATU are particularly involved in bioinformatics analyses and the exploitation of biological data, with the aim of identifying genes and proteins of interest related to the diseases studied. Researchers from the University of Évora contribute to the extraction of natural compounds from selected plant resources. These compounds may then be evaluated in cellular models by teams at the University of Parma in order to assess their potential.
This multidisciplinary synergy is a core strength of the project, as Dr. Saritha Unnikrishnan, lecturer and researcher in Data Science at ATU, points out: “This diverse consortium of clinicians, biochemists, bioinformaticians, and data scientists is united by a common objective; to identify molecular targets that are differentially regulated in neurodegenerative
diseases. It has provided a highly rewarding collaborative experience.”
“This project allows us to collaborate with partners with very different scientific profiles, working on complementary topics. This diversity is highly stimulating and helps generate new research directions,” adds Marc Ferré.
EU GREEN Seedfunding: A lever for European research
Pro-BRAIN is one of the projects selected through the 2024 call for projects “Procedure to leverage joint Research activities” launched by our alliance, aiming to support the early-stage development of collaborative research projects between partner universities, particularly around themes linked to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.
By encouraging exchanges between European researchers and the formation of transnational teams, these funding initiatives help structure long-term scientific collaborations, designed to grow and strengthen over time within the EU GREEN alliance.
Project members:
– University of Parma: Ileana Ramazzina, Amelia Barilli, Salihu Mohammed, Giulia Recchia Luciani, Claudia Siclari
– University of Évora: Cristina Barrocas Dias, Pedro Barrulas, Ana Manhita, Sérgio Martins
– University of Angers: Marc Ferré, Floris Chabrun, Xavier Dieu
– Atlantic Technological University: Saritha Unnikrishnan, Paul Higgins
