Objective
PREDESIGNX aims to revolutionize crop protection strategies by developing a comprehensive pipeline for engineering durable disease resistance in Solanaceous crops. This ambitious project integrates advanced computational predictions, synthetic biology, and translational research to reduce pathogen-caused losses.
The project is structured around three interconnected work packages:
1. TARGET: Predict effectors and identify their host targets using advanced computational tools and large-scale genomic data. Validate predictions with high-throughput experimental approaches in planta.
2. BIOENGINEERING: Explore natural domain integrations in well-characterized NLR systems, including Pik and Solanaceous NRC sensors. Engineer NLR receptors with altered recognition specificities using rational design principles guided by structural biology and evolutionary analysis.
3. RESISTANCE: Apply bioengineered NLRs to crop protection, focusing on potato. Generate and evaluate transgenic potato lines expressing promising engineered NLRs against important pathogens.
PREDESIGNX represents a significant advance in plant immunity and crop protection. By focusing on natural host protein domains and multiple NLR scaffolds, the project aims to develop a generalizable framework for engineering disease resistance in crops. This approach promises durable resistance while potentially simplifying regulatory pathways. The insights gained will advance our understanding of plant-pathogen interactions and provide innovative tools for crop improvement.
By spanning computational biology, synthetic biology, and evolutionary analysis, PREDESIGNX has the potential to significantly impact global food security by providing new strategies for protecting key crops against devastating diseases. Furthermore, this project will yield fundamental insights into pathogen virulence strategies and the evolutionary dynamics of NLR-integrated domains, revealing the molecular arms race between plants and pathogens.
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.
- agricultural sciences agriculture, forestry, and fisheries agriculture agronomy plant protection
- natural sciences biological sciences synthetic biology
- natural sciences biological sciences biochemistry biomolecules proteins
- medical and health sciences health sciences nutrition
- natural sciences biological sciences molecular biology structural biology
You need to log in or register to use this function
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.
-
HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
See all projects funded under this programme
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-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.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2025-STG
See all projects funded under this callHost institution
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.
SW7 2AZ London
United Kingdom
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.