Objective
c-ERBB2/HER2 is a gene that is found overexpressed in ~25% of mammary tumours, and defines the molecular signature of one of the breast cancer subtypes: the HER2-positive tumour subtype. However, the role of the c-ErbB2 tyrosine kinase and the stem cell of origin of HER2-positive breast cancers are poorly understood. Our project aims to study the relationship between c-ErbB2 function and normal and tumour stem cells, as well as on the origin and development of HER2-positive tumours. First, we will study the effects of overexpressing c-ErbB2, or of knocking its expression down, on in vivo mouse mammary epithelial biology. Lentiviral transduction of primary mouse mammary epithelial cells combined with cleared fat pad transplantation and flow cytometric analysis of the resulting outgrowths will be used to study the role of the protein in the normal gland. Second, tumour cells will be isolated from mouse c-ErbB2/neu tumour models and limited dilution transplant assays of cell subpopulations will be used to identify tumour stem cells. Last, a Stop-Flox-Neu mouse model will be combined with transgenic mice carrying the Cre recombinase under different cell-type specific promoters to ask whether activity of c-ErbB2/neu in different subpopulations results in different tumour types with greater or lesser resemblance to human HER2-positive tumours. Identifying the origin of HER2 tumours may be critical for understanding resistance to HER2-targeted therapies as tumours of differing cellular origin may have distinct mechanisms of resistance. The knowledge of the relationships and interactions between HER2 and mammary stem/progenitor cells will be a key aspect of understanding both the role of HER2 in the normal breast and how its over-expression drives breast 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 biochemistry biomolecules proteins
- medical and health sciences medical biotechnology cells technologies stem cells
- medical and health sciences clinical medicine oncology breast cancer
- medical and health sciences clinical medicine transplantation
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-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
SW7 3RP 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.