Objective
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease whose pathology is directly mediated by inflammatory autoimmune T cells. The mechanisms determining the initiation of inflammation by T cells are still unknown. Since antigen presenting cells (APC) play a crucial role in the activation of T cells, their involvement in directing the quality of T cell responses in MS is likely. Thelper (Th) 17 type of immune response is responsible for mediating pathogenesis during autoimmunity. In contrast, Tregulatory (Treg) cells suppress the functions of effector T cells, thereby protecting tissues from the devastating damage inflicted by non-specific inflammation. A delicate balance of soluble factors is involved in the differentiation of naïve T cells into either polarized inflammatory Th17 or suppressive Treg cells. Moreover, the increase of Th17/Treg ratio in MS patients suggests a functional antagonism between Th17 and Treg cells, and a dichotomy in their generation as well. In this project we aim to characterize the involvement of APC in the Th17/Treg balance during MS disease. We will purify primary APC subsets and we will stimulate them ex vivo with Toll like receptor (TLR) agonists. A specific transcriptional profile of APC purified from MS patients versus healthy donors will permit to select genes differentially expressed and potentially involved in the activation of T cells. In order to clarify the role of selected APC molecules, we will block them before coculture APC with naïve/memory T cells. Differentiation of T cells will be analysed through the measurement of Th17- and Treg-specific features and in vitro functional assays. These results will clarify whether the signals originating from APC in MS patients underlie the Th17/Treg imbalance. Moreover, the characterization of molecular mechanisms adopted by APC in controlling T cell response in MS disease, will be important to pharmacologically influence the immunity towards an anti-inflammatory response in MS patients.
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 basic medicine neurology multiple sclerosis
- medical and health sciences basic medicine immunology autoimmune diseases
- medical and health sciences basic medicine pathology
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Programme(s)
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Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Topic(s)
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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
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Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
FP7-PEOPLE-2009-RG
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Funding Scheme
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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
00179 Roma
Italy
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.