WP1: Project Coordination and Management

  • Provide necessary support for successful project completion
  • Optimize resources and financial management

WP2: DAGEs production and comparative analysis of AGEs patterns

  • Provide individual AGEs with different stable-isotope labellings
  • Identify important individual salivary AGEs
  • Develop/optimize tools for targeted/untargeted analysis of AGEs in biofluids, especially saliva

WP3: Pre-clinical characterization of AGEs and related molecular mechanisms

  • Development of pre-clinical models suitable for studying AGEs
  • Evaluation of the AGEs patterns and effects
  • Identification of molecular pathways involved in AGEs effects

WP4: Biosensors for salivary AGEs detection

  • Development of the salivary biosensor prototype
  • In vitrotesting of the detection limits of the salivary biosensor prototype using artificial saliva with various known amounts of AGEs added
  • In vitrocalibration of the biosensor in order to detect the amount of AGEs in the human saliva
  • In vitrotesting on human saliva collected from healthy subjects and from type 2 diabetic patients
  • Assessment of the sensitivity and the specificity of the biosensor
  • In vivotesting of the ability of the biosensor to perform continuous recording of the salivary AGEs

WP5: Human cohort study

  • Elaboration of the informed consent form for the enrolment of the patients in the study; obtaining the approval of the Ethics Committee of the “Iuliu Hatieganu” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
  • Elaboration of the questionnaire for the patients
  • Harvesting of the biologic samples: saliva, blood, urine
  • Detection of AGEs in the skin and oral mucosa by echography
  • Performing the tooth extraction and harvesting of biologic samples: blood from the post-extraction alveoli, gingiva and periapical granulomas
  • Histological examination and immunohistochemistry (AGEs) on the gingiva and periapical granulomas

WP6: Glyco-signaturing, volatilome and metabolomic fingerprints

  • Glycoprofiling of biological fluid glycoproteins
  • Comparison of glycoprofiles from patient and healthy samples
  • Detailed profiling of primary metabolites in bio-fluids
  • Characterization of salivary Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)

WP7: Dissemination and exploitation

  • To ensure the correct dissemination of the project results
  • To clarify the social challenges faced by the project
  • To find new opportunities for the project development