Project description
Novel insight into the pathogenesis of chronic intestinal inflammation
Epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a process where immotile epithelial cells convert into migrating mesenchymal cells, and it plays a central role during development. However, EMT becomes reactivated in certain disorders such as cancer, contributing to malignant transformation, progression and resistance to therapy. The EU-funded INFLEMT project focuses on the role of EMT in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), a chronic disorder of the digestive tract. Researchers will study EMT in IBD and elucidate its impact on intestinal epithelial cells and on fibrosis development. Considering the high prevalence of IBD, results will disclose important information on disease pathogenesis and may lead to new treatment strategies.
Objective
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) defines a group of chronic inflammatory disorders of the digestive tract, with ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease being its two major clinical manifestations, affecting 2.5 million people in Europe. The high prevalence of IBD in Europe and the multiple clinical challenges associated with a significant degree of unresponsiveness to anti-inflammatory therapies and development of complications requiring surgical intervention demand a deeper understanding of the cellular and molecular mechanisms underpinning IBD.
This project aims to understand the role of the process termed Epithelial–to–Mesenchymal Transition (EMT), an embryonic cellular trans-differentiation program re-launched in many pathological conditions, in the pathogenesis of IBD. EMT has in fact been detected in the inflamed intestinal mucosa and surrounding fibrotic areas of IBD patients and experimental models of colitis, however whether EMT functionally contributes to the pathogenesis of IBD is poorly understood.
The INFLEMT project aims to: 1) profile EMT in human IBD to identify its cellular features and correlation with the disease stage; 2) elucidate the impact of EMT on the integrity, functionality and regenerative capacity of the intestinal epithelial barrier; 3) explore the effects of EMT on fibrosis development and modulation of the immune response to assess its role in sustaining the chronic intestinal disease.
These objectives will be pursued by utilizing patient-derived biopsies as well as novel mouse models to manipulate EMT in the intestinal epithelium. Comprehensive analysis, including RNA-sequencing and multispectral imaging, of the involved cellular and microenvironmental components (epithelial barrier, immune cells, fibroblasts) will be performed in acute and chronic colitis settings to mechanistically configure EMT as an epithelial injury response and a major functional driver in the pathogenesis of IBD.
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: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- medical and health sciences clinical medicine gastroenterology inflammatory bowel disease
- medical and health sciences basic medicine immunology
- medical and health sciences clinical medicine surgery surgical procedures
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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.
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H2020-EU.1.3. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
MAIN PROGRAMME
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H2020-EU.1.3.2. - Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility
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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.
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.
MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)
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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.
(opens in new window) H2020-MSCA-IF-2020
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
20072 PIEVE EMANUELE
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.