Objective
Natural killer (NK) cells are cytotoxic innate immune cells that defend against viral infections and cancer. As cancer is one of the leading causes of death worldwide, more effective treatment options are urgently needed. Harnessing NK cell cytotoxicity for cancer treatment shows promise, but there is still room for improvement, particularly against solid tumours, which are difficult to treat due to challenges such as limited tumour infiltration. Therefore, identifying targetable factors that enhance not only NK cell development, function, expansion and persistence, but also homing and migration are crucial to optimize cancer immunotherapies. Vitamin metabolites retinoic acid (RA) and calcitriol (CA) activate nuclear receptors (RAR, RXR, VDR) and regulate differentiation, function and homing properties of T cells and ILCs. In the VITNK project, I will systematically investigate how RA and CA as well as their nuclear receptors impact human NK cell development, differentiation, function, expansion, survival, and migration. To achieve this, haematopoietic stem cell-based NK cell differentiation cultures and short-term peripheral blood mature NK cell cultures will be used. In-depth analysis of the changes induced by vitamin metabolite supplementation and CRISPR-mediated nuclear receptor knockout using advanced cell-based assays in combination with cutting-edge single cell RNA, ATAC- and ChIP-sequencing will give a comprehensive insight into the molecular mechanisms that are governed by vitamin A and D in human NK cells. VITNK will thus establish how vitamin A and D modulate NK cell homing and migration, which is essential for efficient tumour infiltration. The purpose of VITNK is to take initial preclinical steps towards therapeutic targeting by thoroughly evaluating the potential of vitamin A and/or D to upgrade NK cell-based immunotherapy for solid tumours, paving a way for my future research career.
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.
- medical and health sciences medical biotechnology cells technologies stem cells
- medical and health sciences clinical medicine oncology
- natural sciences biological sciences genetics RNA
- medical and health sciences basic medicine immunology immunotherapy
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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-2022-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.
171 77 STOCKHOLM
Sweden
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.