Project description
Protein synthesis regulation in tumour-initiating cells
Tumours are complex ecosystems containing rare cells capable of initiating and sustaining growth and progression. These tumour-initiating cells, often likened to cancer stem cells, are thought to drive therapy resistance and disease relapse. A defining feature of these cells is unusually low protein synthesis activity. However, how this translational control shapes their behaviour remains poorly understood. The ERC-funded RIBOSCOPE project develops innovative tools to map protein synthesis at single-cell resolution within tumours in living animals. Researchers will focus on profiling ribosomes, the machinery responsible for protein synthesis. By identifying the translational programmes in tumour-initiating cells that drive cancer progression and resistance, the project will uncover novel therapeutic targets specifically aimed at eliminating these critical cells.
Objective
Temporal control of gene expression is critical for cancer cells. However, while transcriptional control has been extensively studied in cancer, it has become evident that translational control is a major determinant of protein abundance and cellular function. Therefore, protein synthesis pathways have immense, hitherto untapped potential to understand tumorigenesis and may provide novel entry points for cancer therapies.
Tumors are heterogeneous tissues, where a small subset of tumor-initiating cells plays a key role in cancer progression and therapy resistance. Tumor-initiating cells exhibit low protein synthesis rates, a hallmark of stemness, yet how translational control impacts their function remains enigmatic.
Here, we will develop an in vivo strategy to comprehensively monitor the translational landscape of tumor-initiating cells at single-cell resolution. Leveraging our recently established in vivo single-cell ribosome profiling strategy, ultrasound-guided in utero lentiviral microinjections and an elegant mouse model of cancer, we plan to track and perturb tumor-initiating cells in their native environment. First, we will develop and validate a method to annotate the in vivo single-cell translational efficiency landscape of tumor-initiating cells. Second, focusing on translationally altered genes in tumor-initiating cells, we will identify translational programs driving tumor progression and therapy resistance in vivo. Third, we will molecularly characterize key translational efficiency genes and integrate spatial transcriptomics to map tumor-initiating cell behavior.
Collectively, the unique combination of advanced tools will offer unprecedented and systematic insights into the translational landscape of tumor-initiating cells, identify novel translationally regulated genes driving cancer progression and therapy resistance and lay the foundation for developing novel therapies that specifically target tumor-initiating cells in cancer patients.
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
- medical and health sciences clinical medicine oncology
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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)
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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.
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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
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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) ERC-2025-COG
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8006 Zurich
Switzerland
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