Project description
Advancing the therapeutic potential of haematopoietic stem cells
Transplantation of hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) has traditionally been employed for the treatment of haematological diseases. Recent gene therapy applications using HSCs have spurred great interest in these cells beyond haematology. However, challenges like donor matching and cell quantity limit efficacy and the widespread application of HSC transplantation. Funded by the European Research Council, the FUN-HSC project aims to create a reliable source of HSCs from induced pluripotent stem cells. Researchers will investigate core maturation pathways and gene expression regulation, providing important insight into HSC biology and an engraftable source for advanced therapeutic applications.
Objective
Hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) provide a lifelong supply of blood and immune cells. They are a life-saving therapy for leukemia and have recently found broadened applications to gene and cell therapy, against other cancers, genetic, autoimmune, and infectious diseases. Nonetheless, practical limitations, such as donor-matching or insufficient cell number render these therapies unfeasible or unsuccessful for many patients. Attempts to overcome these limitations have been unable to create a reliable source of HSC for patients: while we can generate human HSC from pluripotent stem cells (PSC), they resemble early development stages, lacking the functional maturation hallmarks. FUN-HSC aims at identifying core and actionable maturation pathways for HSCs and at defining the contribution of coordinated gene expression by chromatin regulation, using a combination of functional and genetic screening technologies and high-throughput readouts in vitro and in vivo. HSC maturation occurs in the liver during fetal development and confers functional multilineage hematopoiesis ability throughout adulthood. Using single cell omics analysis of human embryonic and fetal tissues, we describe multiple gene programs changing during developmental HSC maturation. This study will lead to candidate cell-intrinsic and niche-dependent instructions, which will be dissected in the context of the fetal liver, by analyzing the cell compartments and their interactions and by combining novel organoid technologies with mouse xenografts to model the fetal liver environment. Ultimately, we aim to identify a strategy that mimics these pathways in vitro to bring the maturation stage of the PSC-derived HSC, to a robustly engraftable and clinically valuable HSC source. Harnessing new knowledge in human HSC biology, cutting-edge genetics and tissue technologies, FUN-HSC will provide great advances in the mission of making and maintaining HSCs in vitro, enabling their full therapeutic potential.
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.
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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)
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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
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-2022-COG
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08916 Badalona
Spain
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