Project description
3D co-culture and advanced techniques shed light on cell competition dynamics
Cells compete for survival to regulate tissue architecture and function from early embryonic development to ageing. This ‘cell competition’ results in less fit cells being actively removed by their more fit counterparts. Given the tremendous temporal and spatial heterogeneity of competitive interactions, cell competition dynamics are difficult to study. The ERC-funded CELL-FIT project aims to investigate competition’s mechanisms, induction of long-term cell adaptations and contribution to tumour growth. An innovative 3D co-culture system and new toolbox will enable researchers to recognise and manipulate interacting and competing cells. Long-term quantitative imaging and single cell multi-omics will shed light on the dynamics of competitive behaviour at molecular, cellular and population scales.
Objective
Every tissue in our body is a mosaic formed by individual cells that have different levels of cellular fitness. Competitive interactions, where the relative differences in fitness determine cell survival, therefore have a major impact on the physiology of a wide variety of tissues. Cell competition is versatile and abundant, and it impacts a broad spectrum of processes, ranging from early embryonic development to aging. Yet, due to the heterogeneity of competitive interactions, both in space and time, the dynamics of this process are difficult to unravel. For instance, it is unclear which long-term adaptations of cellular behavior cell competition induces. Furthermore, the consequences of a locally activated response on overall tissue fitness are unknown.
The overall objective of this project is to unravel spatial and temporal regulation of cell competition. Specifically, I aim to understand the:
1) Cell competition-driven adaptations of cellular behavior
2) Mechanistic regulation of competitive cellular interactions
3) Contribution of cell competition to tumor growth in different tissues
The foundation of this project is formed by our innovative 3D co-culture system which my team developed to dissect competitive behavior at molecular, cellular, and population scales. We will combine this system with a newly generated toolbox to recognize and manipulate interacting and competing cells. By leveraging our leading expertise in long-term quantitative imaging and single cell multi-omics, we will mechanistically untangle cell competition in primary intestinal cancer in space and time. To understand how competition affects different types of tumor growth and find shared regulators of this process, we will expand our co-culture systems to different tissues. Together, this provides the unique opportunity to tackle a fundamental question in cell biology: How is cell competition regulated in space and time and how does this impact tissue composition and tumor growth?
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.
This project's classification has been human-validated.
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.
This project's classification has been human-validated.
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)
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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
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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.
HORIZON-ERC - HORIZON ERC Grants
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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) ERC-2024-COG
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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.
3584 CS Utrecht
Netherlands
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