Project description
Predicting viral-immune co-evolution
Viruses such as influenza and SARS-CoV-2 can circumvent host immune defences, and in this way evade detection. To address this, it’s important to understand how viruses and the immune system co-evolve. Unfortunately, most research focuses on either the virus or the immune response in isolation. The ERC-funded CoEvolve project aims to fill this knowledge gap. Specifically, it will study the joint evolution of viral populations and human immunity through laboratory experiments, longitudinal human studies and using viral surveillance data. The goal of CoEvolve is to create insight into the co-evolution process between viral and human populations by mapping out their interactions, with the ultimate aim of predicting how viral populations may mutate and influence vaccination strategies.
Objective
Vertebrates, like ourselves, use adaptive immune cells to protect themselves from pathogens. Predicting mutations of these pathogens, together with the immune response, is essential for the design of vaccines and therapies. CoEvolve will map the co-evolution of immune repertoires and viral populations, to forecast likely properties of future infecting strains and to design interventions that improve immune control.
Much effort has been devoted to evolving viral pathogens, but most studies focus either on viral evolution or on immune adaptation in individual hosts. Yet pathogen and host dynamics are coupled: viruses escape from immune recognition, while immune systems adapt to changing viruses. CoEvolve takes an integrative approach: we will study host immune evolution and viral evolution together and on equal footing.
We will focus on two viruses, influenza and SARS-CoV-2, that cause severe respiratory diseases. Both viruses evolve rapidly and are transmitted between hosts in acute infections. Influenza has evolved in humans over decades, while SARS-CoV-2 has entered humans more recently and is likely reaching a long-term co-evolutionary state. In both systems, we will track and predict co-evolution on multiple scales: in laboratory experiments, longitudinal human tracking studies, and globally circulating populations.
CoEvolve will develop new molecular binding and neutralisation assays for high-throughput tracking of host-pathogen immune interactions and multi-scale inference methods for coevolution. Based on these data and methods, we will
• map co-evolutionary landscapes of viral-immune molecular interactions,
• build data-driven models of human immunity and co-evolutionary dynamics,
• predict viral-immune co-evolution and inform vaccination strategies to optimize immune control.
CoEvolve addresses a fundamental science problem, to understand host-pathogen co-evolution from its molecular basis, and will break ground towards improved public health interventions.
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 microbiology virology
- natural sciences biological sciences evolutionary biology
- medical and health sciences health sciences infectious diseases RNA viruses influenza
- medical and health sciences health sciences infectious diseases RNA viruses coronaviruses
- medical and health sciences basic medicine pharmacology and pharmacy pharmaceutical drugs vaccines
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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.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
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-ERC-SYG - HORIZON ERC Synergy Grants
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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) ERC-2025-SyG
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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.