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Understanding Diagnosing and Early intervention in the Myeloid malignancy Continuum

Project description

Early detection and treatment of myeloid malignancies

As we age, our body’s blood-producing stem cells, known as Hematopoietic Stem and Progenitor Cells (HSPCs), accumulate mutations that can lead to serious health issues. These mutations, called preleukemic mutations (pLMs), set the stage for clonal hematopoiesis (CH) and increase the risk of developing myeloid malignancies, such as leukaemia. Despite the clear connection between CH and cancer, predicting who will develop these diseases remains a challenge. Current tools are limited in diagnosing these conditions early. The ERC-funded UDEMC project aims to develop cutting-edge diagnostics, understand the molecular impacts of pLMs, and identify therapies that can target preL-HSPCs. Through these efforts, the project hopes to transform how myeloid malignancies are detected and treated.

Objective

As humans age, Hematopoietic Stem and Progenitor Cells (HSPCs) accumulate preleukemic mutations (pLMs), forming preleukemic HSPCs (preL-HSPCs) and leading to clonal hematopoiesis (CH). While the link between CH and myeloid malignancies is established, predicting progression remains elusive. The Shlush lab aims to enhance myeloid malignancies outcomes through early diagnosis and treatment. Still, it faces three gaps: 1) lacking advanced tools for diagnosis/risk stratification beyond mutations, 2) insufficient understanding of pLMs functional consequences, and 3) absence of targeted therapies against pLMs.
To address these challenges, our proposed specific aims are as follows:
Aim 1: Develop a novel diagnostic tool for myeloid leukemia using single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNAseq) of peripheral blood HSPCs from 1300 patients and replace bone marrow (BM) analysis in the future. Such a cohort will allow the discovery of novel mechanisms in leukemia and improved diagnostics.
Aim 2: Create an in vitro assay to explore molecular and functional consequences of human pLMs at the single-cell level, considering self-renewal and changing microenvironments.
Aim 3: Identify drugs targeting human preleukemic HSPCs through a high-throughput drug screen of human preL-HSPCs. This novel approach aims to pave the way for targeted early interventions.
To make these goals feasible the Shlush lab made three major steps forward: 1) created the first reference map of peripheral blood (PB) HSPCs from 150 healthy individuals. 2) developed a dynamics bone marrow in a dish allowing the study of human preL-HSPCs. 3) developed the apoptosis score for detecting apoptosis in a small number of preL-HSPCs.

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HORIZON-ERC - HORIZON ERC Grants

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Call for proposal

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(opens in new window) ERC-2024-COG

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Host institution

WEIZMANN INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE
Net EU contribution

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.

€ 2 000 000,00
Address
HERZL STREET 234
7610001 Rehovot
Israel

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Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
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Total cost

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.

€ 2 000 000,00

Beneficiaries (1)

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