Project description
Head and neck sarcoma: insight from developmental biology
Many molecular pathways that guide embryonic development are dysregulated or reactivated in cancer. This link is particularly relevant in head and neck sarcomas, rare and aggressive cancers of mesenchymal origin that remain difficult to diagnose and treat. Sarcoma cells share molecular similarities with corresponding embryonic cell lineages. With the support of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the SAND project aims to elucidate this association further by generating a transcriptomic atlas of neck musculoskeletal development. Researchers will focus on the TGFβ signalling pathway, which regulates both embryonic morphogenesis and tumour progression. By comparing embryonic and tumour datasets, researchers aim to uncover key regulators of malignancy and identify novel therapeutic targets for head and neck sarcomas.
Objective
Head and neck sarcomas constitute rare malignant tumors of mesenchymal origin with poor prognosis. Rarity induces major challenges for diagnosis and limits the understanding of the molecular pathogenesis of sarcoma and its malignancy processes. Recent studies have demonstrated that tumor subsets share transcriptomic similarities with their corresponding cell lineage embryonic origins and mimic the tissue-specific developmental programs. We will combine developmental and cancer biology approaches and state-of-the-art cell transcriptomic tools to comprehensively analyze neck musculoskeletal morphogenesis and identify regulators of mesenchymal malignancy. Using the similarities between tumor and normal embryonic development, both characterized by rapid cell expansion, we will investigate embryonic pathways that could be re-initiated during tumor formation and expansion. TGFβ signaling appears critical for both tumorigenesis and neck musculoskeletal formation by modulating genetic networks involved in cell proliferation and differentiation. Manipulation of our candidate genes in sarcoma cell lines and mouse embryo will characterize TGFβ function during morphogenesis and sarcomagenesis and assess how TGFβ pathway dysregulation is associated with disease progression and treatment responsiveness. Transcriptomic sequencing at single cell level of the heterogenous neck connective tissue precursors will generate the first single-cell atlas of the developing neck. Comparison of developmental dataset with published single-cell sequencing dataset from sarcoma primary tumors and surrounding healthy tissues will allow us to identify molecular processes of normal and tumor development to uncover developmental programs associated with sarcoma induction. The collected data will allow a better understanding of the mechanisms behind TGFβ regulation and neck sarcomagenesis, and will hopefully uncover novel and targetable components for tumor treatments.
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.
- medical and health sciences clinical medicine oncology
- medical and health sciences clinical medicine embryology
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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)
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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
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
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Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2024-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
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