Objective
Cholesterol transport proteins (CTPs) regulate cellular metabolism, hormone biosynthesis, and organelle contacts, with profound consequences for human health and disease. Despite this, almost no small molecule CTP modulators have been reported, and no methods for determining selectivity across the broader protein class exist. Selective CTP inhibition is conceptually challenging as all CTPs are structurally similar and bind cholesterol. Furthermore, due to redundancy among several CTPs, deciphering the biological roles of their individual cholesterol transport activity has been difficult. ChemBioChol aims to unravel the functions of individual CTPs by developing selective small molecule modulators. Based on seminal work from my lab, I propose employing a sterol-inspired compound design strategy consisting of a primary sterol fragment as “anchor” for CTP binding, fused to secondary natural product fragments to engineer selectivity of the compounds for individual CTPs. My group will develop bio-physical and -chemical tools to determine lipid selectivity of CTPs and optimise selective molecules against them. Preliminary data on the Aster CTP family provides a proof-of-principle that selective and potent chemical tools are attainable, and that the concept is applicable to further CTP families. To determine cellular selectivity of CTP inhibitors against all cholesterol-binding proteins, I will also develop a mass spectrometry-based chemical proteomic approach with a universal cholesterol probe. Optimised CTP inhibitors will be used to determine how CTPs mediate lipid metabolism and trafficking, and their effect on sterol-mediated processes including mTOR signaling and autophagy, with potential applications in neurodegenerative disorders and cancer. A general approach for selectively modulating CTPs is ground-breaking and will have impact beyond this set of proteins by providing a blueprint for studying and targeting other families of lipid-binding proteins in the future.
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.
- natural sciences biological sciences biochemistry biomolecules proteins
- medical and health sciences clinical medicine oncology
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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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HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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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.
HORIZON-ERC - HORIZON ERC Grants
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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) ERC-2021-STG
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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.
2800 KONGENS LYNGBY
Denmark
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.