Objective
The Hippo pathway is a highly conserved tumour suppressor pathway that restricts cell proliferation and promotes apoptosis. Although initially discovered in Drosophila, the Hippo pathway is highly conserved in mammals. Mutations and epigenetic silencing of Hippo pathway genes are frequently found in cancer tissues. Thus, our understanding of pathway regulation is important for the understanding of tumour formation and potential cancer treatments.
The upstream regulation of the Hippo pathway is complex, but until now not completely understood. In the host lab, Salt-inducible kinases (SIKs) were identified as inhibitors of the Hippo pathway. SIKs belong to the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) family. AMPK family kinases are sensors of nutrient or energy status. Thus, SIKs might activate cell growth in conditions of optimal nutrient availability, thereby coupling developmental growth with nutritional status. In the proposed project I plan to investigate whether and how nutrient and energy levels regulate SIKs in context of Hippo signalling. Additionally, I will test whether other AMPK family kinases are involved in regulation of the Hippo pathway. I will use a multidisciplinary approach that encompasses whole organism nutritional assays, Drosophila genetic manipulation, cell biology, biochemistry and state-of-art imaging techniques.
The goal of the project is to elucidate the coupling between nutrient sensing and Hippo signalling. Since altered metabolism and nutrient usage is a feature of cancer cells, I believe this work will advance our understanding of oncogenic transformation. This year, the first attempts at designing cancer treatments that target the Hippo pathway in cancer tissues have emerged. Full knowledge of the details of Hippo pathway regulation will be required for a successful choice of targets and pharmacological compounds, to appreciate potential side effects and to predict the effect of currently used drugs on the Hippo pathway.
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.
- medical and health sciences medical biotechnology genetic engineering
- natural sciences biological sciences cell biology
- natural sciences biological sciences genetics mutation
- medical and health sciences clinical medicine oncology
- natural sciences biological sciences zoology mammalogy
You need to log in or register to use this function
We are sorry... an unexpected error occurred during execution.
You need to be authenticated. Your session might have expired.
Thank you for your feedback. You will soon receive an email to confirm the submission. If you have selected to be notified about the reporting status, you will also be contacted when the reporting status will change.
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.
FP7-PEOPLE-2012-IEF
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.
Coordinator
E20 1JQ LONDON
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.