Skip to main content
Go to the home page of the European Commission (opens in new window)
English English
CORDIS - EU research results
CORDIS

Repository-wide screening for bioactivity and protein binding using small molecule mass spectrometry data

Objective

Bioactivity and ligand binding remain central topics for understanding protein function, for drug discovery and toxicology. Mass spectrometry (MS) allows to detect thousands of small molecules in a biological sample with a single experimental run. Compound annotation is carried out using tandem MS. I will develop machine learning models that predict whether a query small molecule has a certain bioactivity or is binding to a certain protein, where the only information we have about the query molecule is its tandem mass spectra. The identity and molecular structure of the query small molecule is unknown; it is unknown to the models, to me, and potentially even to mankind. Clearly, bioactivity and binding are two flavors of the same problem, and the differentiation is solely driven by the available training data. Notably, elucidating the structure of the small molecule is not the focus of the project, and may be postponed until after experimental confirmation. Models will not predict one particular bioactivity or protein binding, but rather tens in parallel. Evolution has, through variation and selection, optimized the structure of small molecules for tasks such as communication and warfare, and the pool of natural products is enriched with bioactive compounds. My project will allow to harvest the information.

I will apply my models at a repository scale, screening millions of tandem MS spectra in thousands of datasets for small molecules that are most likely to have bioactivity or to bind. I will also make my methods available through our well-established SIRIUS platform, allowing users to derive information about bioactivity without the need of additional experiments. I will enable the worldwide community to hunt for drug leads or unknown toxic compounds, without the need of additional experiments or computational analyses. Finally, being able to find small molecules that bind to a protein can provide helpful information to understand protein function.

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.

You need to log in or register to use this function

Keywords

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.

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.

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.

HORIZON-ERC - HORIZON ERC Grants

See all projects funded under this funding scheme

Call for proposal

Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.

(opens in new window) ERC-2024-ADG

See all projects funded under this call

Host institution

FRIEDRICH-SCHILLER-UNIVERSITÄT JENA
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.

€ 3 010 356,00
Address
FÜRSTENGRABEN 1
07743 JENA
Germany

See on map

Region
Thüringen Thüringen Jena, Kreisfreie Stadt
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
Links
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.

No data

Beneficiaries (1)

My booklet 0 0