Project description
Insight into cellular decisions
Cells are constantly subjected to alterations in their immediate environment and must adapt to survive and maintain their functional role. Stochastic fluctuations in protein levels, known as ‘noise’, can greatly impact cellular function and decision-making. The molecular determinants of the modulation of this protein noise remain poorly understood. Funded by the European Research Council, the ChOICE project will use a multidisciplinary approach to map the mechanisms that govern decision-making in individual cells. Alongside mathematical models, this information will help comprehend how protein noise is responsible for cell-to-cell variability as well as various pathologies.
Objective
Cells are incredibly complex out-of-equilibrium systems that constantly react to changing environments in an efficient and strategic manner. As a consequence, it is necessary for cells to make fast and accurate decisions about their functional roles to fit their needs both at short and long timescales. Throughout the decision-making process fluctuations in protein levels, called noise, play a pivotal role. A high amount of noise allows probabilistic decision-making and enhances fitness when cells find themselves in variable environments. However, noise can be detrimental for commitment to cellular decisions, requiring cells to implement strategies to minimise noise when it is unfavourable. Due to the prevalence and importance of cellular-decision making in healthy and pathogenic cells, it is highly important to identify the molecular events that drive and modulate noise throughout the decision-making process. This requires single-cell approaches that identify the molecular drivers, modulators, and enforcers of cellular decisions at both short and long timescales.
In Chance Or Intentional: Cellular decisions Explored, we will identify the molecular drivers of cellular decision, the feedback architectures that modulate commitment to decisions, and physical properties that enforce memory of decisions. We propose an ambitious research program that maps the mechanisms underlying cellular decision-making by combining single-molecule imaging, single-cell sequencing, and time-lapse microscopy with mathematical models. The results will provide a much-needed quantitative characterization of the decision-making process at three distinct timescales. Since protein noise has been associated with various pathological conditions, including infections and cancer, the results from ChOICE will have a wide-ranging impact.
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
- natural sciences physical sciences optics microscopy
- 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)
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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.
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.
HORIZON-ERC - HORIZON ERC Grants
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Call for proposal
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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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6525 XZ Nijmegen
Netherlands
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