Project description
Advanced 3D imaging of hepatitis E-infected tissues
Understanding how diseases affect cells within tissues is central to advancing prevention and diagnosis. However, visualisation of these cellular changes poses a technical challenge. Soft X-ray microscopy is a cutting-edge technique that offers detailed imaging of 3D cell structure and chemistry without the need for fixation or dyes. The ERC-funded NanoX project proposes to use this approach to study the pathogenesis of hepatitis E virus, a zoonotic virus with no available therapies or vaccines. The project brings together experts in infection biology, structural imaging, and physics who will optimise soft X-ray microscopy for nanoscale resolution and develop suitable biopsy tools. This innovative imaging modality is expected to transform the ability to diagnose and study disease directly within intact tissues.
Objective
A driving force behind biomedical innovation lies in disease prevention, diagnosis and treatment. This requires a comprehensive understanding of how pathogens exploit living organisms across molecular, cellular, organismal, and population levels. Treatment of disease often relies upon interventions that restore the normal structure and function of cells. However, it is currently challenging to visualise and quantify detailed cellular changes within whole tissues in response to disease. Soft X-ray microscopy is a novel, exciting imaging modality which enables detailed structural and chemical imaging of whole cells without fixation or dyes. This technique is currently used to image cultured cells, but has yet to be applied to the examination of cells within the intricate 3D architecture of tissue with its complex cell-cell interactions. Imaging of diseased tissue in this way is crucial to gain meaningful insight into disease mechanisms, while remaining complementary to other imaging modalities and biological assays. Project NanoX aims to tackle this challenge, by merging the skillsets of a world-leading team with synergistic expertise in infectious disease, physics and structural biology to pioneer several innovations – (i) a targeted micro-biopsy tool for rapid tissue extraction for soft X-ray microscopy, (ii) high-throughput nano-resolution 3D imaging of tissues, (iii) novel integrative data mining approaches, and (iv) unprecedented insights into the pathogenesis of hepatitis E virus (HEV), an important emerging zoonotic viral infection with no specific therapies or vaccines, in healthy and immune-compromised individuals. The scientific and technological innovations that will be developed and deployed by NanoX will revolutionize clinical diagnostics and research by providing new ways to directly image, characterise, diagnose, and treat diseases in any species at a level of detail and complexity that was previously unattainable.
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 microbiology virology
- medical and health sciences basic medicine physiology pathophysiology
- medical and health sciences health sciences infectious diseases
- natural sciences physical sciences optics microscopy
- medical and health sciences basic medicine pharmacology and pharmacy pharmaceutical drugs vaccines
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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-SYG - HORIZON ERC Synergy 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-2024-SyG
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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.
4 DUBLIN
Ireland
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.