Objective The development of new vaccines against infectious diseases is a major worldwide public health objective. Despite the availability of antimicrobial therapies, vaccines still constitute the most effective means of controlling infections. Adjuvants are crucial for increasing the onset, magnitude, diversity and memory of immune responses to vaccines. Whereas a range of adjuvants is available for conventional vaccination routes, there are currently no mucosal adjuvants for promoting the neutralization of respiratory, gastrointestinal or urogenital infections at the pathogens' port of entry. This proposal will focus on (i) performing innovative research on mucosal adjuvants' mode of action and (ii) catalysing the mid-term development of novel, safe, efficient vaccines for nasal or oral administration.Adjuvants that specifically target Toll-like receptors are efficacious in mucosal vaccination because they trigger mucosal immunity (including secretory antibodies). The host laboratory has a longstanding research programme on the mucosal adjuvant activity of a Toll-like receptor 5 agonist (namely flagellin). Recent results have suggested that cross talk between epithelial cells and mucosal dendritic cells drives flagellin's adjuvant activity. The present project aims at identifying (i) signals from flagellin-stimulated epithelial cells that are of paramount importance in the transactivation of dendritic cells, (ii) dendritic cell factors that condition T and B lymphocytes to produce specific mucosal immune responses, and (iii) unique features of memory responses in the mucosa. This proposal will provide unprecedented opportunities for characterizing mucosal adjuvants. Moreover, better knowledge of the mechanism underlying flagellin's action would not only shed light on the latter's properties but also aid the development of better, safer adjuvants. The overall objective is to generate significant new insights into the field of adjuvants and vaccines. Fields of science medical and health scienceshealth sciencespublic healthnatural sciencesbiological sciencesbiochemistrybiomoleculesmedical and health scienceshealth sciencesinfectious diseasesmedical and health sciencesbasic medicineimmunologymedical and health sciencesbasic medicinepharmacology and pharmacypharmaceutical drugsvaccines Programme(s) H2020-EU.1.3. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Main Programme H2020-EU.1.3.2. - Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility Topic(s) MSCA-IF-2014-EF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF-EF) Call for proposal H2020-MSCA-IF-2014 See other projects for this call Funding Scheme MSCA-IF-EF-ST - Standard EF Coordinator UNIVERSITE DE LILLE Net EU contribution € 185 076,00 Address 42 RUE PAUL DUEZ 59000 Lille France See on map Region Hauts-de-France Nord-Pas de Calais Nord Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Total cost € 185 076,00