Project description
Genetic insight into cardiovascular disease
Atherosclerosis is a chronic disease characterised by the buildup of plaque within the arteries, which can lead to their narrowing and hardening, potentially causing various cardiovascular problems, including heart attacks and strokes. The theory that atherosclerotic plaques originate from vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) is not new and recent evidence supports the accumulation of somatic mutations in these cells during ageing. Funded by the European Research Council, the SOMATICART project aims to analyse somatic mutations in the arterial wall, linking them to age-related cardiovascular disease. Researchers will create a single-cell atlas of somatic mutations in healthy and diseased arterial walls, shedding light on somatic genetic events in vascular health and disease.
Objective
Already in 1973, Benditt and Benditt found that the atherosclerotic plaque was clonal and proposed that it was a neoplasm of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC). Recent technical advances have made it possible to analyze somatic mutations in human tissues and show that somatic cells accumulate thousands of mutations during development and aging. While most of the mutations are harmless, some either contribute to disease and aging or are directly disease-causative, as in the formation of tumors in cancer. The arterial wall is in part composed of clonal VSMC elements, making this tissue particularly vulnerable to somatic mutagenesis. However, detailed analysis and insight into the extent of somatic variance in the vascular tissue is lacking. Here we plan to analyze the somatic mutations in the arterial wall and relate it to age-associated cardiovascular disease (CVD). We will create an atlas of somatic mutations in the human arterial wall at single-cell resolution in health and disease. We will apply single-cell sequencing in arterial tissue to map somatic mutations. Functional significance of somatic mutagenesis in the vascular wall will be validated using data on gene regulatory networks of relevance in human CVD and disease models with induced somatic mutations in VSMC. The model will have a mosaic pattern of mutation and fate of mutated cells will be mapped by lineage tracing in the development and progression of CVD. Our research provides insight into the prevalence, nature and functional significance of somatic genetic events in the healthy and diseased vascular wall.
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 genetics mutation
- 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)
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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
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-ADG
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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.
171 77 STOCKHOLM
Sweden
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