Objective
Cancer is one of the most prevalent human killer diseases. Autophagy, a lysosome-mediated process that degrades cellular components and damaged organelles, has recently emerged as an important player in cancer. Indeed, autophagy inhibition promotes cancer initiation through generation of genomic instability and inflammation, whereas in contrast, autophagy activation is often required to sustain growth of advanced solid tumours in a nutrient-deprived hypoxic environment. Recent findings firmly demonstrate that modulating autophagy can potentially be exploited to suppress tumours and to avoid resistance in anti-cancer therapy. However, the interplay between cancer and autophagy is complex, and further in-depth investigation is urgently required. Therefore I propose to use the well-described cancer models in Drosophila, together with the autophagy mutants that I have developed, firstly to test how an autophagy-proficient/deficient host environment alters growth and dissemination of allografted tumours. Secondly, I will examine how modulation of autophagy within the tumour can impact on its growth. In order to alter independently tumour induction with autophagy inhibition/activation, I will make use of the two inducible expression systems currently only available for Drosophila. These experiments will be accompanied by detailed analysis of mitochondrial status, as well as protein damage and DNA lesions, which will shed light on the intricate mechanisms whereby autophagy affects cancer and will help indicate optimal time points for further analysis of the tumours by in-depth transcriptional, proteomic and metabolomic profiling. Collectively, this project proposal is designed to rapidly test various hypotheses for cancer prevention and treatment, to provide valuable insights for further validation in higher organisms, and to identify new potential drug targets for cancer research.
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 biochemistry biomolecules proteins
- medical and health sciences clinical medicine oncology
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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-2012-StG_20111109
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
WC1E 6BT LONDON
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.