Cover illustration:

"Insulin dependent signal transduction pathways"
(courtesy of Dr. Peter Shepherd)

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1. Important data of COST Action B5
2. Objectives of COST Action B5
3. Most important achievements COST Action B5
4. Cooperations stimulated by COST Action B5
5. Summary of the project proposals accepted by the Action
6. Additional funding received utilizing the help of the Action
7. Meetings and Conferences of COST Action B5
8. National costs of COST Action B5
9. Central funding of COST Action B5
10. Plans for the future
11. Annex I. List of joint publications of collaborating laboratories
12. Annex II. Accounts on scientific achievements of participating laboratories
13. Annex III. List of publications of COST B5 Management Committee members

1. Important data of COST Action B5

Reference number of the Memorandum of Understanding of the Action:

COST/290/94

Period of validity of the Memorandum of Understanding:

24-05-1994/24-05-1999

Manpower:

544 man-year (424 for researchers and 120 for assistants) per 5 years

Total cost of national research:

10 million euros per 5 years

Research space:

3600 sq. meters total

Signatory countries:

Belgium, Czech Republic, Danemark, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom

• 1994: Czech Republic, Danemark, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Slovakia, Spain, UK
• 1995: the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland
• 1996: Ireland, Slovenia
• 1997: Belgium, Norway
• 1998: Romania

Chairperson:

Dr. Peter Csermely, Semmelweis University, Department of Medical Chemistry, P.O. Box 260 H-1444 Budapest, Hungary, Tel. +36-1-2662755, extn.: 4102, FAX. +36-1-2666550 email: csermely@puskin.sote.hu

Vice chairperson:

Prof. Jurgen Eckel, Diabetes Forschungsinstitut, Auf'm Hennekamp 65, D-40225 Dusseldorf, Germany, tel: +49-211-3382-561, FAX: +49-211-3382-603, email: eckel@uni-dusseldorf.de

Scientific Secretary

1994-1995: Mr. Zoltan Somogyi; 1995-1998: Dr. Jasminka Goldoni; 1998-1999: Dr. Anne Mandenoff; CEC, DG XII, B1, Rue de la Loi 200, SDME 1/42, B-1049 Brussels, Belgium, tel: +32-2-299-1556, FAX: +32-2-296-4289, email: anne.mandenoff@dg12.cec.be

• Mechanism of Insulin-induced Glucose Transport (from December 1995)
• Insulin Signalling in Skeletal Muscle (from May 1996)
• Genetics of NIDDM (from November 1997)

2. Objectives of COST Action B5

• search for genetic markers of insulin resistance in NIDDM and rare syndromes of insulin resistance
• studies on insulin receptor function
• studies on the intracellular mechanism of insulin action in normal and pathological states

3. Most important achievements COST Action B5

Achievements on European level

• Coordination of national diabetes research involving 17 COST signatory countries with a total average number of 85 scientists/year, 24 assistants/year, supported with 10 million euros of national scientific research support (net running costs, salaries, etc. not included, see point 8.) during the 5 years of the Action.
• 16 joint publications published (including vol. 827 of the Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences containing numerous collaborative papers, see: point 4A. and Annex I.), several other joint publications are in preparation.
• 48 other european cooperations established (see list in point 4B. below).
• 24 Short Term Missions funded (see list of point 4C.).
• 9 conferences organized (with an estimated total attendance of 600, see point 7.).
• 2 additional joint european grants received with a total funding of 636 thousand euros (see point 6.1.).
• 200 thousand euros COST EU funds received (see point 9.).
• Representation of the Action on COST Interaction Conference (Basel, 1995).
• Inclusion of diabetes as a priority topics of the 5^th Framework programme.
• Development of a web-site for the Action (http://korb1.sote.hu/cost.htm).

 Achievements on national level

• several important scientific contributions made (for short accounts see: Annex II.)
• 605 scientific publications published (see: Annex III.).
• Two project proposals accepted and 22 other national EU-support grants received with a total funding of 5,6 million euros (see points 5. and 6.2.).

4. Cooperations stimulated by COST Action B5

4A. Joint publications (see Annex I.)

4B. European bilateral cooperations (48 total)

4C. Short Term Scientific Missions financed by COST Action B5

5. Summary of the project proposals accepted by the Action

5.1. PHARE TD&QM Programme H 9305-02/1030, Participation in EU programme COST B5 on NIDDM by examining the therapeutic potential of stress proteins and their regulation in diabetes (National Committee of R& D, Hungary; 50,000 euros)

5.2. Molecular mechanisms of the etiology of non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (Federal Office for Education and Science, Switzerland; 195,000 euros)

6. Additional funding received utilizing the help of the Action

6.1. EU grants

6.2. National grants

7. Meetings and Conferences of COST Action B5

1. 1st Management Committee Meeting: 23 November 1994, Brussels, Belgium

1. 1st Workshop on Recent Progress in NIDDM Research: 18-19 May 1995, Salgobanya, Hungary including the 2nd Management Committee Meeting: 19 May 1995
2. 3rd Management Committee Meeting: 14-15 September 1995, Stockholm, Sweden
3. Preparatory Meeting of Working Group on NIDDM-related gene research: 7-8th October 1995, Basel, Switzerland
4. Working Group on glucose transport: 14-15 December 1995, Copenhagen, Denmark

1. Working Group Meeting on insulin signalling in skeletal muscle: 4-5 May 1996, Cambridge, United Kingdom
2. 4th Management Committee Meeting: 10 May 1996, Copenhagen, Denmark
3. Working Group meeting on "Leptin, cytokines and obesity: Novel pathways to pathogenesis and treatment of insulin resistance": 15-16 November 1996, Dusseldorf, Germany; including the 5th Management Committee Meeting: 16 November 1996

1. Working Group meeting on glucose transport: 30-31 May 1997, Umea, Sweden; including the 6th Management Committee Meeting: 30 May 1997
2. Working Group meeting on "Changes in Gene expression and gene structure as pathogenic factors in NIDDM": 1-2 November 1997, Leiden, The Netherlands including the 7th Management Committee Meeting: 1 November 1997

1. Working Group meeting on glucose transport: 29-30 May 1998, Barcelona, Spain; including the 8th Management Committee Meeting: 30 May 1998
2. Working Group Meeting on insulin signalling in skeletal muscle: 5-6 September 1998, Oxford, United Kingdom
3. 9th Management Committee Meeting: 10 September 1998, Barcelona, Spain

1. Working Group meeting on "Insulin signalling in muscle and other major insulin target tissues": 21 May 1999; Workshop on "Therapeutic applications of signalling pathway inhibitors and activators in the area of diabetes and its complications" 22 May 1999; 10th Management Committee Meeting: 23 May 1999; all in Nice, France

8. National costs of COST Action B5

8.1. Manpower (researchers)

8.2. Manpower (assistants)

8.3. National research costs (costs in thousand euros)

8.4. Allocated research space (in square meters)

9. Central funding of COST Action B5

10. Plans for the future

Objectives of the proposed new COST Action

General objectives

Specific objectives

• 1. Identification of diabetogenes
• 1.1. examination of candidate genes
• 1.2. utilization of various differential screening methods
• 1.3. possible links of diabetes-related genes to insulin signalling
• 1.4. search for diabetes-related obesity genes
• 1.5. age-dependent analysis of critical genes
• 2. Studies on the intracellular mechanism of insulin action in normal and pathological states
• 2.1. mechanism of the interactions between insulin receptor and its substrates, analysis of tissue-specificity of insulin signalling pathways
• 2.2. molecular characterization of glucose transport in normal and insulin-resistant states
• 2.3. molecular analysis of insulin signalling and action during the whole lifespan
• 2.4. interrelationships of insulin resistance and leptin action
• 2.5. development of insulin- and leptin-related signalling molecules as potential drug candidates