05/11/2007 (Agence Europe) - An EU-funded team of researchers recently decoded the structure of a specific membrane protein known as 'recombinant G protein-coupled receptor', potentially an important target for future medicines. At the same time, the European Commission announced the granting of around €22 million in funding on 26 October for two new research projects covering membrane proteins. The two new projects were selected from the first call from the EU's 7th Research Framework Programme. They are: EDICT (European Drug Initiative on Channels and Transporters), a European research project which will get around €11m in EU funding; and NeuroCypres (Neurotransmitter Cys-loop receptors, CLRs) on structure, function and disease, which will also receive funding of around €11m. The projects will start research early in 2008. (B.C.)