

SUrrogate markers for Micro- and Macro-vascular hard endpoints for Innovative diabetes Tools

WP3 aims at:
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Identifying non-invasive surrogate markers of vascular complications for use in diabetic patients, suitable to monitor atherosclerosis and retinopathy with sensitivity and diagnostic accuracy even with relatively small sample sizes and short follow-up periods.
New imaging techniques
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Developing a technical platform allowing a non-invasive characterization of carotid plaque structure in the form of a virtual histology. The technique is validated against carotid ultrasound, plaque echogenicity, endothelial dysfunction and arterial stiffness in a multi-centre study involving 500 diabetic patients with cardiovascular disease, 500 diabetic patients without cardiovascular disease and 500 non-diabetic control patients.
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Examing in a multi-centre study involving 2000 patients whether local retinal thickness in diabetes, as assessed by Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT), changes before or in parallel with morphological changes in type 2 diabetes.
Work Package 3 (WP3)
Participants
MISSION
To DISCOVER, DEVELOP and QUALIFY potential MARKERS that empower:
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the identification of patients at high risk of diabetes complications
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the monitoring of the complications' progression and patients‘ response to therapy
To use the discovered markers as SURROGATE ENDPOINTS in clinical trials.
Thereby, SHORTEN the long lasting CLINICAL TRIALS to bring about EARLIER availability of NEW THERAPY to diabetic patients.