TIMER summary

Resolution of inflammation is a key determinant of pathology, and an active process which involves diverse pathways and molecules. The general objective of the TIMER Consortium is to identify and validate new molecules involved in the resolution of inflammation as a basis for the development of innovative therapeutic strategies in chronic inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. The project will involve discovery of new natural or synthetic "pro-resolving" molecules for plant and animals and investigation on endogenous inflammation "pro-resolving" mechanisms identified by various partners of the Consortium, including atypical chemokine receptors, decoy receptors, and microRNA. Tapping resources of natural compounds will be a major thrust.

Efforts will be mainly focused on the regulation by "pro-resolving" agents on two molecular systems of key relevance in inflammation: the chemokine system, which regulates recruitment, permanence and egress of leukocyte in tissues; and the TLR/IL-1R system, which is central for the activation of infiltrating leukocytes. To this purpose, the project will capitalize on, and bring added value to a strong tradition of the Consortium in the fields of: leukocyte recruitment and activation; negative regulators of inflammation; industrial-academic collaboration; identification and characterization of innovative inhibitors of natural origin; European-Brazilian collaboration.

This project is supported through Coordination Theme 1 (Health) of the European Community's FP7. Grant agreement number HEALTH-F4-2011-281608.