📋 Tender Overview
The Human Diseases Models Morphological Phenotyping (MorphoPHEN) masters program combines the excellence and expertise of four leading European institutions: Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, the Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, the ???st?t??e?? ?a?ep?st?µ?? Tessa???????, and the Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária de Lisboa in the areas of mouse anatomy, imaging, and pathology, including machine learning technologies applied to image diagnosis. The main objectives of MorphoPHEN are: (1) to construct an integrated interdisciplinary education program on mouse morphological phenotyping; (2) to produce graduates with the skills that are needed to generate a positive impact on human disease models translatability (from the bench to the bedside); and (3) to develop a European and global approach for teaching a new discipline that improves the analysis and understanding of human disease models.
The key role of the laboratory mouse as an animal model to develop new treatments against human diseases is well established, however its importance has been dramatically increased due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Large-scale experiments in humanised mice have been carried out to identify novel disease mechanisms and therapeutic targets. Furthermore, the efficiency of COVID-19 vaccines, the best option to beat the pandemic, were first tested in mice. Despite this preeminent position of the mouse, the European and global scientific community currently lacks sufficient human resources and expertise in mouse phenotyping to effectively characterize and validate these animal models. In this scenario, no single European university has all the expertise, resources and personnel required to design and establish a strong educational program in mouse morphological phenotyping. For this reason, 18 associated partners integrated with universities, research institutions and companies have come together to produce the MorphoPHEN educational program to meet this need.
