Project description
Potential marker of platinum-based chemotherapy tumour resistance
Europe has the world’s highest rates of ovarian cancer, resulting in more than 40 000 deaths annually. Routine screening is not recommended in asymptomatic average-risk women, so effective treatments are essential. However, the development of resistance to conventional platinum (Pt)-based chemotherapy is not uncommon. The altered expression of specific ion channels and proteins that bind certain ions are one reason, but the mechanisms are unknown. With the support of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the CROC project aims to use advanced mass spectrometry to determine isotope ratios of iron, potassium and copper. The hypothesis is that changes in them are associated with development of resistance to Pt-based chemotherapeutic drugs.
Objective
Cancer is the second leading cause of death globally and in the EU, and was responsible for an estimated one in six deaths in 2018. Early diagnosis plays an important role in determining cancer treatment outcomes, but the diagnosis of ovarian cancer poses significant challenges; the routine screening of asymptomatic average-risk women is not recommended by any professional society. Chemotherapy using Pt-based compounds (e.g. carboplatin, cisplatin) is a standard treatment, but tumours that are initially responsive may develop chemoresistance, resulting in treatment failure. The ability to predict patient response towards post-operative treatments would allow for ineffective treatments and harmful side effects to be avoided and alternative treatments to be commenced at earlier stages. Several mechanisms underlying tumour cell resistance have been identified so far, including the altered expression of ion channels (Na, Mg, K, and Ca) and Fe-, Cu-, and Zn-binding proteins, but these remain poorly understood and it is unclear whether they can be exploited as markers of resistance. To that end, I will apply high-precision isotopic analysis by multicollector-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry to Fe, K, and Cu to understand processes and determine whether changes in the natural abundances of these isotopes are associated with the development of resistance to Pt-based chemotherapeutic drugs in high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC), the deadliest gynaecological cancer, which accounts for ~70% of ovarian malignancies. Deviations in natural isotopic abundances signal biochemical changes (affecting the extent of isotopic fractionation accompanying some biochemical processes) occurring as a result of a disease in a systematic and reliable way. Through ovarian cancer cell line, tumour spheroid, and HGSOC patient plasma experiments, I aim to develop a revolutionary, minimally-invasive prognostic marker of Pt-based chemotherapeutic drug resistance.
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 biochemistry biomolecules proteins
- medical and health sciences clinical medicine oncology
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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)
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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-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
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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) 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.
9000 GENT
Belgium
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.