Objective
The greatest differences between mammals are size. As well, the large evolutionary expansion of the cerebral cortex is a defining feature humans. Despite this, much remains to be learnt about the developmental and evolutionary factors controlling organ and organism size. This is in marked contrast to the exquisite detail in which developmental patterning has been defined in model organisms. The identification of genes for human disorders of extreme growth failure (microcephalic primordial dwarfism) provides a means to gain new insights into the regulation of human brain and body size. I have identified eight genes regulating cerebral cortex volume and organism size, all of which encode fundamental components of cell machinery regulating cell division. This proposal aims to ascertain the genes causing the other 85% of primordial dwarfism, and define their cellular and developmental functions. The central hypothesis for the proposed work is that such primordial dwarfism and microcephaly genes are components of common cellular pathway(s) relevant to organ and organism growth. I propose to pursue complementary approaches involving human disease gene identification, cell biology studies, and model organisms, to address this hypothesis and further define the pathogenesis of these conditions. These cross-disciplinary studies will contribute to our understanding of vertebrate growth regulation and help us understand how the human brain evolved. They may provide insights into neural stem cell division relevant to brain repair. Finally and not least, regulation of DNA replication, centrosome function and DNA damage response signalling are key cellular processes perturbed in many important human diseases, from developmental disorders to cancer.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: https://op.europa.eu/en/web/eu-vocabularies/euroscivoc.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: https://op.europa.eu/en/web/eu-vocabularies/euroscivoc.
- natural sciences biological sciences genetics DNA
- natural sciences biological sciences cell biology
- medical and health sciences medical biotechnology cells technologies stem cells
- medical and health sciences clinical medicine oncology
- natural sciences biological sciences zoology mammalogy
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Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
ERC-2011-StG_20101109
See other projects for this call
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Host institution
EH8 9YL Edinburgh
United Kingdom
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.