Project description
Early drivers of lung function and disease
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is associated with persistent and progressive breathing problems that emerge from airflow blockage. COPD has long been envisaged as a result of exposure to harmful gases. Emerging evidence suggests that other parameters such as genetics and the environment during development or early life affect lung development and susceptibility to COPD and other morbidities. The ERC-funded PredictCOPD project aims to identify the biological factors and mechanisms that affect lung resilience and function and may lead to COPD. Identification of early disease targets may help treat COPD and promote healthy ageing.
Objective
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) has been traditionally understood as a self-inflicted disease caused by tobacco smoking occurring in old individuals. Over the past few years, however, our group and others have proposed that the pathogenesis of COPD goes beyond smoking, and that there is a range of lung function trajectories through life (trajectome); some of them have roots in early life and can lead to COPD, cardiovascular and metabolic morbidity as well as premature death, while others are associated with healthy ageing. Here I propose that, detrimental gene (G) and environment (E) interactions occurring early in life (T) constitute a ‘first injury hit’ that alters the normal lung developmental program and modify the pace of normal lung aging by reducing the resilience of the lungs to future GxExT interactions. Accordingly, lifelong GxExT interactions determine the individual trajectome and, eventually, the occurrence of COPD and associated multimorbidity. PredictCOPD aims to identify the interactions and mechanisms that determine which individuals will develop COPD and multimorbidty at some point of their life.
The specific aims are: 1) to identify the lifelong environmental and host risk factors associated with the trajectome, COPD and multimorbidity, 2) to use a novel liquid biopsy method to identify biological factors driving the trajectome, COPD and multimorbidity; 3) to identify clinically relevant preventive and/or early therapeutic targets integrating the results from aims 1 and 2 with novel analytical approaches and 4) to validate findings both in vitro and in other available cohorts.
The project will leverage from several available population and COPD patient studies with available clinical data and biological samples. The results of PredictCOPD have the potential to: 1) promote healthy ageing by preventing and eventually eradicate COPD and associated multimorbidity; and, 2) change COPD treatment from palliative to causal.
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)
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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
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
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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-COG
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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.
08007 BARCELONA
Spain
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