Project description
A closer look at breeding and animal pathogens
For thousands of years, farming and domestication have increased human vulnerability to diseases. However, little is known about the impact on the health of domesticated animals. Given modern concerns about farming practices and their effects on animal and public health, understanding the long-term effects of domestication and breeding on animal pathogens is crucial. Supported by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) programme, the VIRODOM project aims to analyse ancient equine DNA to uncover the evolutionary dynamics of viral pathogens. This research will contribute to a comprehensive understanding of infectious disease history and evolution, benefiting both animal and human health by shedding light on the history of diseases and their spread.
Objective
The emergence of animal domestication and farming practices during the last 10,000 years is thought to have enhanced humans' exposure to infectious diseases, but the consequences of these developments for the health of domesticated animals themselves have been largely overlooked. Understanding the long-term effects of domestication and breeding practices on the epidemiology and evolution of animal pathogens is yet of foremost importance given current concerns regarding modern farming practices and their impact on animal and public health. Recent major advances in sequencing and biomolecular techniques have allowed the recovery of rare and degraded DNA molecules from ancient biological samples, including those of pathogens which can persist in the remains of their hosts for millennia. Here, we will leverage a massive collection of ancient equine DNA (aDNA) libraries spanning more than 50,000 years to investigate the past epidemiological and evolutionary dynamics of DNA viruses in horses and donkeys from the earliest stages of domestication to modern days. An innovative approach will be implemented for the systematic enrichment of viral DNA in aDNA libraries prior to sequencing, to maximize viral detection sensitivity. Metagenomic analyses of resulting datasets will allow characterizing ancient equine viromes and their variations through time. Ancient viral sequences will be used for genomic and phylodynamic analyses to reconstruct past viral genomic changes, geographical spread and transmission dynamics. Inferred patterns will be interpreted in the light of detailed knowledge about horse and donkey's domestication and management history which has been generated in recent years. VIRODOM will provide major insights into the evolutionary history of important equine pathogens which remain understudied and contribute to the development of an integrative, One Health vision of infectious disease's history and evolution.
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.
- humanities history and archaeology history
- natural sciences biological sciences microbiology virology
- natural sciences biological sciences genetics DNA
- medical and health sciences health sciences public health epidemiology
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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-2023-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.
75794 PARIS
France
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.