Project description
Tuneable protein properties via functional insertions
Synthetic biology uses engineering principles to design or redesign bioactive molecules and systems to produce novel functions that can solve important challenges in medicine, agriculture and society. Proteins are the workhorses of biological systems. Their function is intricately regulated by other molecules or environmental conditions. The ERC-funded PROFI project aims to develop a platform enabling insertion into proteins of tuneable building blocks to create proteins and biological systems that respond to biological, chemical and physical signals in controlled ways. The ability to engineer proteins with unique and previously unknown properties will pave the way to new therapeutic applications. The platform’s potential will be demonstrated in mammalian cells.
Objective
We live in an era of profound excitement for synthetic biology, which is providing insights into the underlying mechanisms of living systems and powerful tools to modify biological and biomimetic systems using innovative design principles. Regulation of protein function based on the recognition of other molecules or environmental conditions is fundamental to all living systems. My vision and the strategic objectives of the project are to develop a modular platform that imparts proteins with the ability to sense diverse signals, thus enabling the regulation of their function and the introduction of novel properties into biological systems. This project aims to explore unique opportunities for regulating protein function through insertions, leveraging modular building blocks with well-known and tunable properties. By combining these building blocks in innovative ways, proteins and biological systems will be engineered to respond to biological, chemical, and physical signals. The specific objectives of the project encompass: 1) design protein responsiveness to pH and RNA molecules, generating RNA sensors and regulating protein function based on cell type- or state-specific RNA molecules; 2) enable proteins to sense the concentration of other proteins, creating concentration-dependent regulatory circuits with a demonstration of biomedical application; 3) construct de novo mechano-responsive proteins, to prepare genetically encoded mechanosensors tolerant to high forces and mechanoresponsive designs of CAR for cancer immunotherapy and 4), design new protein regulators with favorable in vivo properties and regulators of natural proteins. Through several compelling examples in mammalian cells, this project aims to demonstrate the transformative potential of endowing proteins with unique and previously unknown properties, advancing the engineering of biological systems and paving the way for potential therapeutic applications in the field of biomedicine.
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
- 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.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
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-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-2023-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.
1000 Ljubljana
Slovenia
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.