Project description
The role of extracellular vesicles’ lipids in cancer metastasis
Up to 90 % of cancer deaths are due to metastasis. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) facilitate communication between cancer cells and distant tissues. However, the significance of EV lipid composition, particularly its asymmetric distribution, is often overlooked. The ERC-funded CanExCell project aims to create an atlas of the asymmetric lipid compositions of EVs from various cancer cell lines with differing pro-metastatic characteristics. This atlas will include quantitative data on lipid distribution between the inner and outer leaflets of the membrane. To explore how EV lipid composition influences selective uptake by tumour and pre-metastatic cells, the project will utilise neutron scattering and super-resolution microscopy techniques. This work advances the integration of cell biology and engineering for analysing asymmetric membranes.
Objective
It is estimated that up to 90% of cancer deaths are caused not by the primary cancer but after it has metastasised, i.e. spread to other organs in the body, and it is well known that the locations of metastasised tumours are specific to the location of the primary cancer. Communication and transfer of material between cells is a fundamental process in cell biology, for which nature uses extracellular vesicles (EVs). These nanometre-sized vesicles are excreted by cells and contain signature combinations of membrane lipids, nucleic acids, proteins and surface markers. EVs excreted by cancer cells play an important role in communication between tumours and distant organs where metastases can take hold. While more is now understood about the role of EV nucleic acids, proteins and surface markers in these processes, the role of EV lipid composition, and especially the role of asymmetric lipid distribution across the membrane, remains overlooked. I address this fundamental research question by developing an interdisciplinary approach for mapping the asymmetric lipid composition of EVs with varying pro-metastatic nature from a library of cancer cell lines. I will create an atlas of asymmetric lipid compositions of EVs excreted by cancer cell lines, including quantitative data on the asymmetric lipid distribution between the inner and outer membrane leaflets (asymmetric lipid distribution). To study the role of EV lipid composition on selective uptake in cells from the original tumour and pre-metastatic environment, I will apply neutron scattering and super-resolution microscopy techniques. Taken together, the atlas of cancer-derived EV asymmetric lipid compositions that I will develop represents a significant advance to the state of the art, and a ground-breaking combination of cell biology with engineering-based tools for chemical and biophysical in-depth characterisation of complex, asymmetric membranes.
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 optics microscopy super resolution microscopy
- natural sciences biological sciences biochemistry biomolecules proteins
- natural sciences biological sciences biochemistry biomolecules lipids
- 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)
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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)
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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.
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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.
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Call for proposal
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(opens in new window) ERC-2023-STG
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412 96 GOTEBORG
Sweden
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