Objective
In the murine small intestine, the epithelium renews every five days. This vigorous self- renewing process is controlled by several secreted Wnt factors at the base of the crypt-villus axis. Lgr5/Gpr49 gene is a Wnt target gene that displays a complex expression pattern during embryogenesis, yet expression in most tissues subsides around birth. In adult mice, Lgr5 expression is restricted to rare, scattered cells in multiple tissues including the hair follicles, mammary glands and the intestinal epithelium. In the intestinal epithelium, Lgr5 is expressed throughout the proliferative crypt compartment and has been recently identified as a marker of adult stem cells in small intestine and colon. The cancer stem cell hypothesis postulates that a small reservoir of self-sustaining cells is exclusively able to self-renew and generate the heterogeneous cell population that constitutes the bulk of the tumour. Importantly, Cancer Stem Cells (CSC) not only fuel tumour growth but also tumor metastases. In 2002, Lgr5 was identified as a gene expressed in colon cancer. Therefore, the main goal of this project is to identify colon Cancer Stem Cells by using Lgr5 as a marker and compare the expression profile of this CSC cells with normal adult intestinal Stem Cells. First, I propose to analyse the Lgr5 expression pattern in tumours deriving from the intestinal tract, and compare it with the appropriate non-tumor controls. Following, Lgr5 positive cells will be isolated from fresh tumour suspensions, by antibody-based FACS sorting, and tested for Cancer Stem cell potential. Finally, the expression profile of Lgr5 positive colon Cancer Stem Cells will be compared with the genetic profile of Lgr5 normal intestinal Stem cells, to identify the genes implicated in Stem Cell malignant transformation. The results obtained from these studies would allow identifying potential target cells and target genes for the diagnosis and treatment of colon 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 developmental biology
- medical and health sciences medical biotechnology cells technologies stem cells
- medical and health sciences clinical medicine oncology colorectal cancer
- engineering and technology environmental engineering energy and fuels
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
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-IEF-2008
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
1011 JV AMSTERDAM
Netherlands
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.