“Transformation is possible, and it is happening right now – in so many places, with so many innovations – and with the engagement of so many people” – (António Guterres, UN secretary-general, 2020).
The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) aim to tackle the world’s most urgent challenges – and they present a cornerstone of the European Commission’s policy design and Horizon Europe framework. As a Horizon Europe Research & Innovation Action, GENEGUT is dedicated to contributing towards Goal 3 and 9 of the UN SDGs.
What are the Sustainable Development Goals?
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), also called the Global Goals, are a collection of 17 goals addressing urgent global challenges – from climate change, poverty and insufficient healthcare to gender inequality, poor working conditions and education imbalances. The SDGs were established in 2015, as part of the UN General Assembly’s Agenda 2030. This global call to action has resulted in numerous private and public initiatives, leveraging SDG-driven investment and positioning sustainable development as a “core principle” of the European Union.
Horizon Europe, a key funding programme of the European Union, actively helps to achieve the 17 goals by facilitating the crucial research and innovation projects needed to tackle these challenges. GENEGUT is one of these projects. With the aim to develop a novel RNA-based therapy for Crohn’s Disease, a non-communicable disease with an unmet medical need, GENEGUT contributes to Goal 3 and 9 of the UN SDGs.
Goal 3: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages
“Support the research and development of vaccines and medicines for communicable and noncommunicable diseases (…) and provide access to affordable essential medicines and vaccines” – UN SDG Goal 3.
- By developing a novel RNA-based therapy for ileal Crohn’s Disease, GENEGUT is taking its first steps towards significantly improving the quality of life of about 3 million people in Europe alone.
- With the ambition to create a cost-effective treatment option for CD, GENEGUT aims to make safe and effective Crohn’s Disease therapy accessible to all.
Goal 9: Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation
“Enhance scientific research, upgrade the technological capabilities of industrial sectors in all countries (…) including, by 2030, encouraging innovation and substantially increasing the number of research and development workers” – UN SDG Goal 9.
- Building on the recent advances of mRNA therapy in the global vaccination rollout for Covid-19, GENEGUT will develop a first-of-its-kind innovative RNA-based treatment for ileal Crohn’s Disease.
- GENEGUT actively fosters innovation and collaboration within its multi-disciplinary, international consortium and strives to advance Europe as a hub for RNA nanotherapeutics research and manufacturing.
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UK participants in Horizon Europe Project GENEGUT are supported by UKRI grant number 10042451 (Bangor University).