University College Dublin

Data-driven cluster analysis identifies distinct types of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease. Authors: Violeta Raverdy, Federica Tavaglione, Estelle Chatelain, Guillaume Lassailly, et al. Published in *Nature Medicine*, December 2024. DOI: 10.1038/s41591-024-03283-1.

Health Minister Stephen Donnelly appoints Dr Tracy Cunningham as Chairperson of the Health Research Board (HRB), alongside new Board members Professor Mark Lawler and Professor Peter Doran.

Savara Inc. announces encore presentation of IMPALA-2 trial results at BTS Winter Meeting on Nov 29, 2024, focusing on inhaled molgramostim's impact on aPAP patients.

Authors Daniel E. Coral, Femke Smit, and Ali Farzaneh contributed equally. Affiliations include Lund University Diabetes Centre, Maastricht University, Erasmus MC University Medical Center, University Medical Center Mainz, Novo Nordisk A/S, Université de Lille, George Washington University, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Institut d’Investigació Biomèdica de Girona, University of Girona, CIBER Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición, Dr. Josep Trueta University Hospital, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, University of Exeter, and University of Dundee.

The EU EVEREST project, coordinated by Prof. Breandán Kennedy, aims to standardize methods for isolating and characterizing extracellular vesicles, crucial for ultra-targeted therapies. Funded by the MSCA programme under Horizon Europe, the €1.3m project involves 21 institutions from 11 countries and will run for 48 months starting in January 2025. The consortium includes top academic and non-academic partners across Europe, focusing on improving treatments for complex diseases like cancer and cardiovascular conditions.

Cytoki Pharma announces first patient dosed in Phase 2 study of CK-0045, evaluating efficacy, safety, and tolerability in obesity and type 2 diabetes.

A new precision prediction algorithm from IMI SOPHIA consortium, published in Nature Medicine, identifies previously unknown subtypes of obesity that increase risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease. The algorithm, developed using machine learning on data from 170,000 adults, classifies obesity into 5 diagnostic profiles with varying complication risks, aiming to improve disease prediction and treatment precision.

The Republic of Ireland's first dedicated phase 1 clinical trials unit, START Dublin, has opened at the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital in Dublin. A collaboration between the Mater Hospital, University College Dublin, and the START Centre for Cancer Research in the US, START Dublin aims to provide Irish patients with advanced cancer access to novel therapies and early phase clinical trials. The unit, supported by the Goodman Foundation, aspires to enroll approximately 50 patients onto trials within the first year, rising to 300 patients.

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