Newsletter
November 2017: Issue 10
Stroke is also the most common cause of severe disUPPORTER ability in Malta with 1 in 4 men and 1 in 5
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A news bulletin for the supporters of the University’s Research Trust
The Alfred Mizzi Foundation donates €150,000 for Research into Strokes The Alfred Mizzi Foundation, the University of Malta and the RIDT have signed an agreement through which the Foundation will be financing a research project related to strokes. The donation amounts to €150,000, and is the largest single donation since the setting up of the RIDT. The Project deals with the ‘Sensory Stimulation as a Novel Treatment Strategy to Salvage the Brain during a Stroke’. The Research Team consists of Prof M.Valentino (lead), Dr. C. Zammit, Dr J. Vella, Mr R. Zammit and Prof. R. Muscat. Despite major advances in prevention and rehabilitation, few neurological injuries are as debilitating as stroke. The disease is currently the third leading cause of death and the leading cause Research, Innovation & Development Trust
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of long-term disability worldwide. It is similarly devastating in Malta. Old age is associated with an enhanced susceptibility to stroke, and with the increasing average age of the population, the already staggering numbers are likely to grow. Stroke is also the most common cause of severe disability in Malta with one in four men and one in five women expected to have a stroke by age eighty five. Emerging new research shows strong evidence that mild sensory stimulation can completely protect the jeopardized brain from an impending stroke in a rodent model. When delivered within the first two hours following stroke, this stimulation resulted in complete protection, including a full re-establishment of cortical function, sensorimotor capabilities, and blood flow. Continued on page 2
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Message from
the CEO
2017 has been the best year since the setting up of the RIDT, only six years ago. We will be ending the year with slightly over €600,000 raised. The cumulative amount of funds raised since setting up now stands at €2.3 million. These figures tell us a number of things, amongst them, and probably the most important thing is that the community is rapidly responding to our appeal and that the same community believes that investing in research is a wise investment. This also means that people believe that the University of Malta and its researchers can truly offer solutions to our challenges, being health challenges, or being of any other type – environmental, social, humanitarian. It is so gratifying to note that the Maltese community is using philhantropy to strengthen the hands of our researchers so that they can pursue their studies and offer solutions. One of the last donation for 2017 is of particular significance because it came from students attending St. Martin’s College, who raised €1,000 during a school activity. On accepting the donation, during their Christmas Mass, I told the students that probably some of them would go on to take a career in research, and that they would then fully understand the meaning of such donations. Indeed, change is happening in our way of doing philhantropy.
This recent breakthrough suggests a new, exciting potential avenue for the development of acute stroke treatment strategies that may produce a non-invasive, drug-free, equipment-free, and side effect-free means of protection from ischemic stroke. In this novel research, the scientists at the University of Malta intend to explore the cellular and molecular mechanisms of the time-sensitive events that underlie this protection. Such an understanding could lead to the development of drugs that imitate the protective effect of sensory stimulation. The research being undertaken in the University of Malta laboratories is cutting-edge and unique in Europe. For the first time the researchers can capture 3-D cellular and molecular events deep down into brain structure to study how cells communicate, develop, and how injury and reconstruction occurs under high spatial resolution. From a broader perspective, the researchers also aim to raise more public awareness by promoting a campaign on the importance of recognizing the early signs of stroke, its risk factors and preventative measures, because the longer the delay for evaluation and treatment, the more likely the damage will be irreversible and the higher the chances that the patient will die or experience severe disability. This project aims to help around four hundred people a year who suffer a stroke in Malta. The project aims to help 70% of stroke survivors who suffer from severe disability, as well as the rest who require assistance with self-care. This research is expected to advance understanding and treatment of vascular diseases in human subjects and assist work in the pursuit of excellence.
And so, as we strike off another year and look forward to start a new one, we have nothing but words of thanks to all of you, supporters of RIDT for your continuous assistance. Today no less than 40 research projects are being financed by the Maltese community through the RIDT channel. Another 10 projects have been concluded already. We have been seeing more sectors of our community coming forward to make their donation, irrespective of whether it is large or small. Thank you. Wilfred Kenely Chief Executive Officer
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HSBC Malta Foundation supports cancer research with €84,000 donation
“Patients undergoing repeated cancer chemotherapy cycles often must endure high doses of chemotherapy drugs, with severe side effects. The cancer tumour might also develop resistance to such drug therapy, rendering chemotherapy cycles less effective and leading to increased doses administered to the cancer patient,” explained Dr Ayers. “The project proposes an additional step to the commonly employed chemotherapy treatment procedure, through the added use of novel miRNA antagonists that would force the cancer cells to be more receptive to chemotherapy.”
A novel research into chemotherapy currently underway at the University of Malta has received a fresh impetus thanks to a donation of €84,000 by the HSBC Malta Foundation via RIDT.
Preliminary results have shown that the new treatment methodology would benefit patients, particularly whose cancers have spread, in two ways; increasing the effect of chemotherapy dose positively, and achieving the same level of treatment with reduced dosage, in turn, reducing side effects in patients with poor tolerance to conventional chemotherapy drugs.
The study is being led by an accomplished scientist in the field of micro-ribonucleic acid (miRNA), Dr Duncan Ayers, who is investigating ways to mitigate the often damaging side effects of chemotherapy on cancer patients by exploiting the potential of miRNAs. RNA is a vital molecule for living beings and it can in turn be controlled by miRNAs. Whilst at the University of Malta, Dr Ayers is credited with discovering a miRNA combination that affects specific cancer chemo-resistance. If successful, the collaborative research holds the potential to become a precursor to pharmaceutical trials. The project is being orchestrated between the Centre for Molecular Medicine and Biobanking of the University of Malta and the Functional Cancer Genomics and Applied Bioinformatics Group at Ghent University, Belgium.
Dr Ayers’ counterpart at Ghent is Prof. Jo Vandesompele and who enjoys a longstanding track record of scientific achievements and publications in miRNA cancer research, particularly in the field of neuroblastoma, including a recent publication in the globally renowned scientific journal Nature. With this donation to the University of Malta, HSBC Malta Foundation has initiated support for medical research in addition to its longstanding involvement with education, the environment and heritage. The project has been proposed to the HSBC Malta foundation by RIDT through ALIVE Charity Foundation, which is by far the largest donor of funds for cancer research in Malta. To date they have donated over €300,000.
MCCF Foundation donates €132,000 towards research in Eye Disease The Malta Community Chest Fund (MCCF) Foundation and the Research and Innovation Development Trust of the University of Malta signed an agreement which will finance the Malta Eye Study, a research project dealing with the incidence of common eye disorders such as glaucoma and cataracts. The MCCF Foundation will donate €132,000 towards this project. Mr Francis Carbonaro, ophthalmic surgeon and visiting senior lecturer at the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery will be leading the research project. The project will gather data from 1% of the Maltese population aged between 40 and 80, so as to determine the age- and sex-specific prevalence of presenting blindness and visual impairment in adults, and the attributable cause. The study will be carried out by a Ph.D. student over a period of three years. Research, Innovation & Development Trust
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The aim of this research project is to determine the prevalence of visual impairment and eye disease in Malta and Gozo. To date there is no reliable data available on blindness and common eye diseases such as cataracts, diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma. The Malta Eye Study will set out to determine the prevalence of common eye disorders and will also be looking at prevalence of refractive errors, such as myopia (short sighted) and hypermetropia (long-sighted). This project will be very useful from a research aspect, to determine whether the Maltese are more prone to developing certain diseases and whether this is genetic or due to environmental factors which could possibly be changed to reduce the incidence of certain diseases. It will also, most certainly, be of crucial importance for Public Health Care on our Islands.
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Why we are proud to be donors When the ISL board of directors were approached by RIDT (Research, Innovation, and Development Trust) over an initiative called PEM, we had no hesitation in offering our support to what could possibly make a difference in people’s lives. PEM stands for Pervasive Electronic Monitoring and focuses on Quality of life technology (QoLT) that makes use of devices that a person carries or wears.This involves a mobile solution that accompanies a person with dementia, and a technology-embedded environment in which a person lives. PEM is supported by ISL through RIDT in collaboration with SVDP (Saint Vincent De Paule) and the University of Malta. Operating since 1994, ISL (Information Systems Limited) has developed into one of Malta’s leading IT solutions companies and has established a strong international presence in countries across Europe, the middle east and north Africa, serving clients in diverse industries, our portfolio of products includes ERP solutions, Automotive dealer management systems, Sales Force Automation, ELearning and bespoke software solutions. Our mission is to provide the most comprehensive, cost effective and innovative business solution through a synergy of expertise and knowledge. Besides providing a dynamic and challenging environment for all our employees, we know our business because we invest in top talent with a wide pool of skills. ISO 9001 certified since 2013, we work hand in hand with our clients in getting to know them, their business, and their requirements. ISL firmly believes in giving back to the community as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility and encourages other companies to do the same.
‘Hotjar gives back’ – getting fit in aid of breast cancer research Hotjar, an international company founded in 2014 by Dr David Darmanin, made a donation of €2620 towards the on-going breast cancer research taking place at the University of Malta. The team at Hotjar came up with a fun and innovative way to raise funds. Having seen one of RIDT’s blog posts shared on Facebook, and finding the content inspiring, one of the teammates nominated RIDT as a candidate to raise money as part of a program called “Hotjar gives back”. Hotjar team members could choose between five good causes they could raise money for. They used Fitbit to track the number of steps each of them took throughout the month of July, and then each charity received a donation relative to the number of steps their supporters took. The donation to RIDT is the result of four people walking 836,588 steps in July! Hotjar launched itself with a bold vision to ‘Change the way digital experiences are built and improved by democratizing user analytics and feedback’. In less than three years, Hotjar went from running a nine-month beta program, to making Hotjar available to the public, to experiencing tremendous growth by finally reaching an Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR) of €8 Million as of June 2017. “Private companies are typically associated with profits and growth”, Founder and CEO David Darmanin said. “At Hotjar we believe that we are accountable to not only our shareholders but also to our team members and our customers. However, it would be all futile if we did not also consider the bigger picture. We feel it is our duty to give back to the communities that have made us who we are over the years, as well as support the initiatives and projects that make the world a better place. No matter the size or type of contribution, giving back is a wonderful way to have purpose and make a difference.”
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Appreciation
Susan Mulvaney
Long before the arrival of the digital age, of twitter and facebook posts and of a cornucopia of blogs that bombard us with news, fake news, gossip and opinions, we had Rediffusion. An integral part of our little house in Paola, where I was brought up. Rediffusion was always on, and we used to listen to whatever the station decided to broadcast. Sometimes it was radioplays or story reading some other time it was music. Then there was discussion time, where a host interviewed expert guests who spoke about a myriad of topics – from etiquette to morals, from baking to parenting. Some of the voices still echo in my mind till this day. One of these voices was Susan Mulvaney’s. A soft, mild voice that hosted programmes that dealt with social issues and with people’s silent sufferings. She represented those who for one reason or another were feeling hurt, downtrodden or abandoned. I used to follow her programmes because her voice radiated peace and solidarity which, I believed were soothing for the people who she was representing. I got to know Susan much later in life and she always took genuine interest in what I was doing. One day, around a year after we set up the RIDT, she came to my office in Valletta and proposed that we should have a weekly programme where she would interview researchers from the University of Malta who would talk about the work that they were doing. This was her way of supporting the RIDT in its quest to garner support for the world-class research that happens at our University. The programme went on for twenty six months, during which over a hundred researchers were interviewed and given the opportunity to present their work. During the same time I went on her programme no less than seventeen times, most of the times taking with me either a donor, a collaborator or a researcher. She believed wholeheartedly in what we had set out to achieve and she went out of her way to promote our work with the various circles in which she moved. She was also a regular visitor to the yearly Science in The City festival, bringing with her her young nieces in whom she wanted to instill the love for science and research. And then she was gone. On the 7th of October 2017 Susan’s voice went silent. Her mission accomplished, she moved on to greener pastures, leaving behind her a beautiful legacy of solidarity with those who suffered, and of respect for those who worked to provide solutions to our challenges. Thank you Susan.You will be missed.
Wilfred Kenely
5 Brain Research Projects awarded funding
Last December, the RIDT, in collaboration with the Malta Neuroscience Network within the University, issued a call for proposals for small brain research projects following a fund-raising campaign held in 2016. Upon closing time RIDT had received nine proposals from academics coming from six different faculties. An ad hoc evaluation advisory board was set up, consisting of Prof. Richard Muscat, Prof. Helen Grech, Dr. Norbert Vella and RIDT CEO Wilfred Kenely. The board also sought the opinion of leading neuroscientist Prof. Giacomo Rizzolatti from the University of Parma, as an external advisor. The board looked at the projects and evaluated them on the basis of these criteria:
• Scientific Excellence
• Quality of proposal
• Interdisciplinarity
• Impact
The evaluation advisory board recommended the following projects for funding:
• The Genetics of Autism Spectrum Disorder - Dr. Stephanie Bezzina Wettinger
• Cerebellar speading depression in triggering episodes of ataxia - Prof. Mauro Pessia
• The role of the Endocannabinoids in Absence Epilepsy - Prof. Giuseppe DiGiovanni
• Machine learning and signal processing techniques in epileptic seizures - Dr Lalit Garg
• Intercranial stereo-EEG analysis during grasping movement and intent - Prof. Kenneth Camilleri
The fund-raising campaign consisted of a number of events and initiatives which included the INCONTRI art exhibition, 2016 Easter Sunday Concert, Payment gateway scheme, Bohemia Saxophone Quartet Concert and Individual donations. Research, Innovation & Development Trust
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LIFECYCLE MALTA FOUNDATION MAKES ANOTHER DONATION TOWARDS KIDNEY RESEARCH LifeCycle Malta Foundation has once more made a donation of €25,000 to the University of Malta Research Trust (RIDT) to be utilised within the Kidney Research Programme. The funds raised have been collected while preparing for the Foster Clark’s Lifecycle Challenge ‘On the Tribal Trail’ that took cyclists from Kenya to Tanzania. The LifeCycle Kidney Research Programme was set up thanks to a donation of €70,000 by the LifeCycle Malta Foundation to RIDT in 2014. Since then, much ground has been covered. A kidney disease biobank was established and the research projection of the genetics of congenital kidney disease in Maltese children was launched with the aim of improving the quality of life of patients. Research is also being carried out on adult diabetic nephropathy, which refers to the kidney disorders secondary to type two diabetes, a common disease and a common complication. The funds donated by LifeCycle Malta Foundation will be used to further this research with the specific objectives of establishing a high quality kidney disease DNA and other samples to serve as tools for investigation; characterising the genetics underlying congenital kidney disease in children and developing tools for diagnosis in families; and uncovering the genetics and progression of Diabetic Nephropathy in adults. The LifeCycle Organisation was founded in 1999 to create awareness and generate support for patients suffering from end stage renal disease. To do this it organizes the LifeCycle Challenge, which is one of the most gruelling endurance events in Europe, pitting a dedicated team of Maltese cyclists against the elements in a long distance ride through different countries all over the world. In 2011 LifeCycle officially became LifeCycle (Malta) Foundation (http://www.lifecyclechallenge.com).
€760 from quiz nights in aid of research in ALS July 14 marked the third Battle of the Brains, a series of quiz nights set up by Malta University Holding Company in collaboration with RIDT, to help raise funds for research in ALS. Since its first edition last year, the quiz night has built quite a reputation for itself attracting a wide range of people, from families and friends looking for a night out with a bit of a difference, to groups of employees eyeing the event as an ideal team builder. With rounds including a blindfold taste test, this definitely isn’t one’s typical quiz night but it is definitely proving to be a lot of fun. For the first time ever, this year’s event was held at Saracino’s Restaurant in Attard and doubled as a pizza night. It also marked MUHC’s biggest quiz night yet with a record number of participants joining to help support research in ALS. Sixteen teams went head to head in six mind-boggling rounds and the competition was as heated as ever but there could only be one winner. By the end of the quiz only one point separated the leader from the runners-up and it was ‘Just B. Cos’ who emerged victorious. This time round, thanks to even more support from companies, first and second runners-up were also given an award which went to ‘Ta’ Calleja’ and the ‘No-Brainers’ respectively. One of the highlights of this year’s Battle of the Brains was an appearance from the inspirational Bjorn Formosa himself, ALS sufferer and founder of ALS Malta, who has captured the hearts of the Maltese public. His touching words as well as the overall enthusiastic vibe helped raise the biggest sum yet of €610. This, alongside a further €150 raised by company employees was donated to this worthy cause. Johanna Galea, one of the unit managers within MUHC who helped set up Battle of the Brains last year, said: “It is always great to organise events that bring people closer together as well as to the University itself. Supporting such a worthy cause just makes it all the more rewarding. I am sure that I’m not alone when I say that being part of the organising team present on the night always leaves me looking forward to the next one. It’s amazing to watch people having such a good time together while helping to raise funds for research in ALS.”
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Pervasive Electronic Monitoring – finding a solution to dementia. Researchers at the University of Malta are focusing their study on finding solutions to the challenging issue of persons with dementia wandering off.The researchers aim to identify the dangers imposed on the patients in these situations. Wearable devices, which make use of pervasive electronic monitoring (PEM) applied to a health care setting will involve patients at their early stages of dementia who reside at SVDP (St Vincent de Paule), so that their needs will be better understood. The research will be conducted at the University of Malta’s Faculty of ICT Mark Weiser Lab where simulations of the dangers caused by wandering will be studied, to better improve the human activity recognition (HAR) solutions being developed for this project. Volunteers from all ages would be needed to help build a large dataset that will be available to various researchers working in this field. Volunteers may send an email to register their interest to volunteer@pem.space. PEM is supported by Information Systems Limited (ISL) through RIDT in collaboration with SVDP and the University of Malta. This research proposes a tool that utilises Smart Mobile Technologies and a custommade tool to log patients’ wandering patterns, by making sense of data collected to identify the possible dangers to the patient. The study aims to give useful real time information to the carers about the patient’s status. In Malta, the number of individuals with dementia in 2013 was estimated to be 5,301, equivalent to approximately 1.26 per cent of the general population (Eurodrem 2013). As the population ages, the number of individuals with dementia will increase significantly such that by the year 2030, it is projected that 9,883 individuals will have dementia. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia. One of the challenges caregivers need to manage is that of the person with dementia wandering off. This wandering off is difficult to assess and the reasons for the behaviour remain unclear. Different individuals’ habits are personalised in some kind of wandering pattern i.e. there is no one rule fits all. PEM focuses on Quality of life technology (QoLT) that makes use of devices that a person carries or wears. This involves a mobile solution that accompanies a person with dementia, and a technology-embedded environment in which a person lives, in this case, Saint Vincent de Paul (SVDP), and Mark Weiser Lab at the University of Malta’s Faculty of ICT, Department of Computer Information Systems. By collaborating with professional caregivers in all stages of the study, the researchers improve their algorithms and report tools, to better access real time information about the persons with dementia. They aim to develop solutions that work in hospital environments, with the person and for the person. A major challenge is the lack of technology and resources in hospitals and elderly homes. The research team consists of Dr Conrad Attard (lead), Mr Joseph Bonello from the University of Malta’s Department of Computer Information Systems, Faculty of ICT, and Dr Ronald Fiorientino from St Vincent de Paule. Various professionals from St Vincent de Paule and undergraduate and post graduate students from the Faculty of ICT are also involved.
Dr Conrad Attard
For more information on the Research, Innovation and Development Trust, please contact us Tel: +356 2340 8201 Email: info@ridt.org.mt STAY CONNECTED WITH
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Photo © Bernard Polidano
My Way
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Nadine Axisa pays tribute to Sinatra Proceeds in aid of medical research
Friday 23 & Saturday 24 February 2018 at 20:00 hrs Grand Ballroom, The Phoenicia Hotel, Floriana Price: € 25 & € 18 Tickets: Teatru Manoel Booking office, Valletta Tel: (+356) 2124 6389 • Mob: (+356) 7941 2139 E-mail: bookings@teatrumanoel.com.mt
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