Projet MenoBrain (Horizon Europe, appel à projets 2024)
Action : Doctoral Networks
Panel : Life Sciences
Statut du projet : SIGNED

With the global population of menopausal women projected to reach 1.2 billion by 2030, menopause represents a critical yet understudied period in women's health. Hormonal changes during this transition pose significant risks to brain health, cognitive function, and emotional well-being, while increasing vulnerability to age-related diseases such as Alzheimer's disease. Despite its profound societal relevance, menopause-related brain changes remain poorly understood, with limited biomarkers and evidence-based interventions available. MenoBrain aims to fill this gap by training a new generation of 15 doctoral candidates to address the pressing challenges of menopause-related brain health. The DCs will work within a multidisciplinary and international network of 18 participants (11 beneficiaries and 7 partners) spanning neuroimaging, neuropsychology, endocrinology, microbiome research and bioinformatics. MenoBrain will employ cutting-edge methods including advanced neuroimaging (MRI, DTI, PET, EEG), host-microbiome modelling, and computational BrainAGE models. This integrated approach will explore how hormonal changes associated with menopause and interventions such as menopausal hormone therapy impact cognitive health, gut-brain communication, and aging trajectories. The programme combines scientific excellence with a robust training structure to equip MenoBrain doctoral candidates with expertise in interdisciplinary and intersectoral research, advanced technologies, and transferable skills. By leveraging state-of-the-art infrastructure, MenoBrain will discover biomarkers for early detection of cognitive dysfunction, improve therapeutic strategies, and advance personalized healthcare for menopausal women. MenoBrain not only addresses a critical gap in women's health research, but also aligns with the EU's agenda to promote healthy aging, gender-specific healthcare, and fostering innovative training for the next generation of leaders in science and industry.

Mots clés : womans health, hormones, hormone replacement therapy, mood and mental dysfunction, cognition, microbiome, gut brain axis, brainage, animal model, prebiotics, metabolic modelling

Participants :
- Université de Lorraine (France) — Partner, associated partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
- Institut national de la santé et de la recherche médicale (France) — Partner, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 314669.16 €
- Finnadvance oy (Finlande) — Partner, beneficiary, Organismes privés (hors enseignement), subvention : 314524.8 €
- Université de Vilnius (Lituanie) — Partner, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 538391.52 €
- Université Eberhard Karl de Tübingen (Allemagne) — Partner, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 290272.32 €
- Medice (Germany) (Allemagne) — Partner, associated partner, Organismes privés (hors enseignement), subvention : 0.0 €
- Jena University Hospital (Allemagne) — Coordinator, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 870816.96 €
- Alzheimer Europe (Luxembourg) — Partner, associated partner, Recherche, subvention : 0.0 €
- Université de Leyde (Pays-Bas) — Partner, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 305285.76 €
- Hôpital de Dialonhjemmet (Norvège) — Partner, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 339932.16 €
- Science matters (Pays-Bas) — Partner, associated partner, Organismes privés (hors enseignement), subvention : 0.0 €
- Kerstin minnich (Allemagne) — Partner, associated partner, Organismes privés (hors enseignement), subvention : 0.0 €
- Université de Salzbourg (Autriche) — Partner, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 605085.84 €
- Bastiaanse communication b.v. (Pays-Bas) — Partner, associated partner, Recherche, subvention : 0.0 €
- Barcelonaβeta Brain Research Center (Espagne) — Partner, beneficiary, Recherche, subvention : 282188.16 €
- Université Christian Albrecht de Kiel (Allemagne) — Partner, associated partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
- Université Pompeu Fabra (Espagne) — Partner, associated partner, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 0.0 €
- University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein (Allemagne) — Partner, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 290272.32 €
- Université d'Uppsala (Suède) — Partner, beneficiary, Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire, subvention : 324630.0 €
- Synaptikon gmbh (Allemagne) — Partner, associated partner, Organismes privés (hors enseignement), subvention : 0.0 €