Bridging the prevention gap: funding distribution and methodological shifts in prevention-focused biomedical research under EU framework programmes

Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) contribute significantly to global morbidity and mortality, accounting for 74% of all deaths worldwide. Many of these chronic diseases can be prevented or their onset mitigated through lifestyle interventions. Complementing these efforts, robust biomarkers enable early diagnosis (secondary prevention), while tertiary prevention can reduce long-term complications and improve disease management. Moreover, the importance of prevention extends beyond NCDs to infectious diseases, where lifestyle-related factors can also play a pivotal role. Innovative human-based research methods have shown suitable for modeling several diseases and advancing drug discovery. These approaches are particularly relevant in prevention research, given the inherently human nature of the lifestyle and environmental factors associated with disease risk and progression.