Project description
Immune development in undernutrition
Undernutrition in children can seriously impair growth and weaken the immune system, leaving them more vulnerable to infections and long-term inflammation. Up to now, most nutrition-based solutions often fall short. Research now shows that early exposure to the body’s microbes and viruses – the microbiome and virome – plays a key role in shaping immune development. Supported by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the Virome-SHIELD project explores how viruses in the gut influence immune responses, especially in the context of undernutrition. Using mouse models, the project studies how early viral exposure affects growth, metabolism, and disease risk, aiming to develop sex-specific therapies that improve outcomes for undernourished children globally.
Objective
Nearly half of all deaths in children under five are linked to undernutrition, which causes developmental issues and increased susceptibility to infections and intestinal inflammation that are not fully corrected by traditional nutrition strategies. Early exposure to commensal bacteria shapes immune trajectories, influencing susceptibility to infections and inflammatory diseases both early in life and in the long-term. Reseach from the host laboratory has demonstrated that commensal bacteria contribute to host development, particularly under conditions of undernutrition. Similarly, commensal viruses (aka the virome) can modulate immune responses. Infants, especially in regions with high rates of undernutrition, are highly exposed to these viruses. However, the virome’s impact on immune development and its contribution to the effects of undernutrition remains largely unexplored. Building on my experience working with a commensal murine enteric virus, I aim to investigate how early immune imprinting by the virome alters host-development trajectories —including growth, metabolism, and sexual maturation—and affects long-term susceptibility to infections and inflammatory diseases in male and female mice. Using a combined approached of hypothesis-driven research (focusing on the homeostatic role of type I interferons) and a RNA sequencing-based discovery, this study will uncover unknown physiological functions of immune cells that are critical in challenging environments like undernutrition. The findings from this study will provide new insights into how understudied factors—such as the virome, sex, and undernutrition—affect immune function, including host-defenses and physiological functions. This knowledge could lead to innovative preventive and therapeutic strategies for undernourished children, such as microbiota-targeted food and immune-based interventions, tailored specifically for boys and girls.
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.1.2 - 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.
75794 PARIS
France
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.