Horizon Europe ERA Chairs action program will be used to improve the research environment in the Orbeli Institute of Physiology (OIPH). Under the direction of the selected ERA Chair, new scientific directions will be developed, the existing research areas will be strengthened and several key structural changes within the institute will be implemented. These include: 1) establishment of a regional biovisualization research excellence center, 2) creation of a new OIPH laboratory with the focus on hyperspectral imaging of surgical targets, 3) assistance in the implementation of several state-of-the-art protocols in the field of tissue engineering, 4) improvement of OIPH research compliance environment by bringing animal care, biosafety and human subjects committees to the European standards, 5) establishment of an institute-wide training in scientific writing and grant management. To achieve the long-term sustainability of the proposed research efforts mutually beneficial collaborative arrangements with regional medical centers will be established. Such collaborations will enable subsequent clinical implementation of novel imaging techniques and tissue engineering products for the needs of the local population.
Artistic rendering of hyperspectral images of ablated heart surface