About
An important EU-funded project has been launched to explore the biological pathways that may link the alterations observed in the retina with those present in the brain in people with type 2 diabetes (T2D).

CONSORTIUM
RECOGNISED brings together 21 partners from nine different countries, including academic institutions, small and medium enterprises (SMEs), the European infrastructure for translational medicine (EATRIS) and patient organisations, with complementary knowledge and expertise. RECOGNISED will receive almost €6 million in funding from the EU Horizon 2020 towards this programme with the final goal of improving the quality of life of people living with diabetes. In RECOGNISED, basic scientists and clinicians with extensive expertise in diabetes, ophthalmology and neurology will use state-or-the-art technologies to undertake the experimental and clinical studies that form part of this ambitious project.
BACKGROUND
Type 2 diabetes is known to be an independent risk factor for developing cognitive impairment and dementia, with studies showing that people living with T2D have a two-fold higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease (AD) when compared to the general population. AD is a neurodegenerative disease that leads to the progressive loss of brain cells, which causes cognitive decline and, eventually, dementia. People with cognitive impairment are more prone to have impaired diabetes self-management, poor glycaemic control and an increased incidence of diabetes-related complications, which presents significant challenges both for individuals and healthcare systems on how best to manage diabetes care.
PROJECT
The four-year long RECOGNISED project will study the biological mechanisms that cause structural and functional alterations in the retina in people with type 2 diabetes, to determine whether these same pathways play a role in the events observed in the brain during the development of cognitive impairment and dementia. Importantly, RECOGNISED will reveal whether evaluating the retina, easily accessible with current non-invasive technologies, could help in identifying earlier cognitive impairment in people with T2D, so that appropriate support can be given. RECOGNISED will also analyse previously-collected data and samples from registries, cohorts and biobanks. By gaining knowledge on the mechanisms of disease, RECOGNISED will help to identify new potential therapeutic interventions.
Partner Institutions
Our consortium consists of 21 principal investigators from 9 different European countries, 3 SMEs which participate in key points of the work plan, and 3 prestigious transversal organizations (EATRIS, IDF Europe and Alzheimer Europe) which are essential in the dissemination and communication activities:
FUNDACIO HOSPITAL UNIVERSITARI VALL D'HEBRON - INSTITUT DE RECERCA, PASSEIG VALL D’HEBRON 119-129, EDIFICIO DE RECERCA, 08035, BARCELONA, SPAIN, the Coordinator (Rafael Simo Canonge)
THE QUEEN'S UNIVERSITY OF BELFAST - THE QUEEN'S UNIVERSITY OF BELFAST, UNIVERSITY ROAD, BELFAST BT7 1NN, UK (Noemi Lois)
AIBILI - ASSOCIAÇÃO PARA INVESTIGAÇÃO BIOMÉDICA E INOVAÇÃO EM LUZ E IMAGEM, Azinhaga de Santa Comba, Celas, COIMBRA 3000 548, PORTUGAL (José Cunha-Vaz)
UNIVERSITAIR MEDISCH CENTRUM UTRECHT - UMC UTRECHT, UTRECHT HEIDELBERGLAAN 100, 3584 CX, THE NETHERLANDS (Geert J. Biessels)
ACADEMISCH MEDISCH CENTRUM BIJ DE UNIVERSITEIT VAN AMSTERDAM – AMC, MEIBERGDREEF 15, 1105AZ AMSTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS (Reinier Schlingemann)
UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI ROMA TOR VERGATA – UNITOV, VIA CRACOVIA 50, ROMA 00133, ITALY (Simona Frontoni)
UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI MILANO – UMIL, Via Festa Del Perdono 7, MILANO 20122, ITALY (Tiziana Borsello)
FUNDACIO ASSISTENCIAL DE MUTUA DE TERRASSA FUNDACIO PRIVADA CATALANA, C/ SANT ANTONI 32, TERRASSA 08221, SPAIN (Maria José Barahona)
INSTITUT CATALA DE LA SALUT – ICS, GRAN VIA DE LES CORTS CATALANES 587, BARCELONA 08007, SPAIN (Xavier Valldeperas)
JAVNA USTANOVA UNIVERZITET CRNE GORE PODGORICA – UOM, CETINJSKA 2, PODGORICA 81000, MONTENEGRO (Nataša Popović)
KLINICKI CENTAR CRNE GORE PODGORICA - Clinical Centre of Montenegro, LJUBLJANSKA BB, PODGORICA 81000, MONTENEGRO (Filip Vukmorović)
UNIVERSIDAD DE CADIZ – UCA, CENTRO CULTURAL REINA SOFIA PASEO CARLOS III N9, CADIZ 11003, SPAIN (Mónica Garcia-Alloza)
FEDERATION INTERNATIONALE DU DIABETE REGION EUROPE AISBL - IDF EUROPE, CHAUSSEE DE LA HULPE 166 BLOC C, BRUXELLES 1170, BELGIUM (Sabine Dupont)