Project description
Insight into tissue material properties
Mechanical forces shape cellular behaviour, especially during embryonic development and cancer. While most research has examined elastic materials, biological tissues are viscoelastic, meaning they exhibit both fluid-like and solid-like properties. However, it is poorly understood how viscoelasticity influences cell behaviour. With the support of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the DISCOVER project will engineer hydrogels with tunable viscoelasticity to study fibroblast responses using advanced live cell imaging. Coupled with computational modelling, the work will reveal how force-sensitive proteins and cytoskeletal dynamics integrate complex mechanical cues. The generated knowledge will have broad implications for cancer research, organoid biology and regenerative medicine.
Objective
Mechanobiology explores how physical forces affect cellular processes, providing insights into areas like embryogenesis and tumor growth. While most studies focus on cells responding to forces stemming from elastic materials, biological materials are viscoelastic. Single materials elastically resist deformation while viscously relaxing with a multitude of relaxation times. Whereas viscoelasticity is increasingly acknowledged in mechanobiology research, its effects on cell behaviour remain poorly understood. This project aims to uncover the mechanisms behind viscoelastic mechanotransduction, by considering cell dynamics and multiple relaxation times within the cell environment. I will engineer hydrogels with tuneable viscoelastic properties, culture fibroblasts on them and employ cutting-edge (live cell) fluorescence microscopy and computational modeling of the cellular mechanotransduction. The hydrogels' elasticity will be tuned by the 3D crosslinked network, and viscosity by linear polymers within the network. Considering properties of gel and force-sensitive proteins inside the cell a stochastic simulation will predict and explain cell behavior, a data-driven model will infer properties from experimentally observed cell behavior. Experimentally, I will characterize mouse fibroblast mechanotransduction on these gels, focusing on adhesion, cytoskeleton, and YAP/TAZ activity, using fluorescent proteins and confocal microscopy. Chemical perturbations of the cytoskeleton will validate the model. Spanning experimental and theoretical methods from material science, cell biology, and computational sciences, this project will shed light on a crucial but underexplored aspect of mechanobiology. As mechanical changes in the cell enviroment are a hallmark of many tumors, this research is particularly relevant for oncology. Further, the models and insights gained will have an impact on the study of organoids in viscoelastic 3D matrices, as well as fibrosis and would healing.
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 biochemistry biomolecules proteins
- natural sciences biological sciences developmental biology
- natural sciences chemical sciences polymer sciences
- natural sciences physical sciences optics microscopy
- medical and health sciences clinical medicine oncology
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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)
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-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
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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) 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.
08028 Barcelona
Spain
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.