Project description
Regulatory insight into the mechanical properties of cells
Cells interact within their environment by generating and sustaining mechanical forces. The mechanical properties of cells influence a plethora of cellular functions, including adhesion, migration and polarisation. They are also central during development and differentiation. However, the underlying regulatory networks responsible for controlling the mechanical properties of cells remain largely unexplored. Funded by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the READ-seq project aims to address this by developing a microfluidic platform that combines physical and biochemical cell analysis. The platform will simultaneously measure the mechanical and morphological features of individual cells and associate them with their molecular profile, providing an unprecedented link between gene expression and cell mechanics.
Objective
Changes in mechanical properties of cells are key in a range of processes, including cell migration and development, and are frequently altered in disease states such as cancers. Yet, despite their key role, the gene regulatory networks underlying these processes are currently largely unresolved. Thus, the central aim of my proposed project is to gain a detailed understanding of how cellular mechanical properties are controlled, by developing microfluidic technology to simultaneously measure the mechanical phenotype and transcriptome of single cells in high throughput. The advent of single cell sequencing methods has been transformational for our understanding of biology, and multimodal approaches such as those combining genome and transcriptome measurements of the same cell, are likely to be even more so. The physical dimension, however, remains largely unexplored, and its exploitation offers the prospect of revealing how the biochemical composition of cells relates to their physical properties. I will thus apply my PhD experience to develop a microfluidic platform that combines physical and biochemical cell analysis, using real-time deformability cytometry and droplet-based single cell RNA sequencing. By matching the transcriptomic profile of each cell with its brightfield image, which yields their mechanical and morphological features, I will identify genes involved in the regulation of mechanical properties and their generality across cell types. In addition to elucidating fundamental regulators of cell mechanics, this technology will allow the investigation of their interplay with gene expression during both physiological and pathological cell state changes.
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 physical sciences classical mechanics fluid mechanics microfluidics
- natural sciences biological sciences genetics RNA transcriptomes
- medical and health sciences clinical medicine oncology
- natural sciences biological sciences genetics genomes
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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.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
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-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
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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) HORIZON-MSCA-2021-PF-01
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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.
80539 MUNCHEN
Germany
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.