Project description
Novel biomarkers for ovarian cancer diagnosis
Most patients with ovarian cancer present with metastases at the time of diagnosis, necessitating the identification of novel biomarkers for prompt diagnosis. The EU-funded KLKs4OvCa project will focus on kallikrein-related peptidases (KLKs), a family of enzymes that participate in a broad spectrum of biological processes. Since KLKs are upregulated in ovarian cancer and associated with dismal prognosis, scientists aim to unveil their role in the disease by investigating their activity. Project results will determine the prognostic and therapeutic value of these biomarkers and help address the challenge of prompt ovarian cancer diagnosis.
Objective
Ovarian cancer (OvCa) is one of the most fatal female gynaecological malignancies, resulting in 180,000 deaths annually. The majority of patients have metastatic disease at time of diagnosis, thus, early diagnosis of OvCa remains a challenge to our society. In addition, the low survival rates over the past decades have remained largely unchanged, evidencing the need of new therapies for OvCa. Kallikrein-related peptidases (KLKs) are a family of 14 serine proteases which form a cross activation network known as the KLK activome. KLKs show diverse tissue expression and physiological function, and aberrant KLK expression and activity has been related to several pathological conditions including skin diseases, neurodegenerative disorders and cancer. In OvCa, KLKs4,5,6 & 7 levels are upregulated and associated with its unfavourable prognosis, therefore, KLKs4,5,6 & 7 are considered potential drug targets and biomarkers for OvCa. However, KLK activity is decoupled from simple abundance, and the contribution of each KLK activity in OvCa progression remain poorly understood. In this project, I will develop selective (quenched)-Activity Based Probes ((q)-ABPs) for KLKs4,5,6 & 7 and quantify the active enzyme fraction of each KLK to determine their contribution to OvCa. Additionally, I will develop proteolysis targeting chimeras (PROTACs) which can be selectively activated by specific KLKs to unlock their potential as therapeutic targets for OvCa. This proposal aims to deliver a versatile platform to interrogate the application of KLKs4,5,6 & 7 as biomarkers and therapeutic targets for OvCa, with potential application to other KLK- and serine protease-related disorders. My participation in this proposal will allow to bring key knowledge to face the challenging objectives and receive high-quality training that will provide me with a solid and diversified groundwork to become and independent researcher in the drug discovery field.
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 oncology
- natural sciences biological sciences biochemistry biomolecules proteins enzymes
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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.
SW7 2AZ 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.