Project description
Killer T cell modulation by organ-specific bioactive lipids
Cytotoxic T lymphocytes, also called CD8+ T cells or killer T cells, identify and destroy foreign or abnormal cells. This includes cells infected by viruses or bacteria as well as tumour cells. Harnessing this ‘army’ via immunotherapies requires understanding how it is regulated. The ERC-funded EICO-CODE project aims to investigate the hypothesis that organ-specific eicosanoids (bioactive lipids) are locally released factors sensed by CD8+ T cells, modulating their responses. The project will characterise eicosanoid profiles across organs, T cell eicosanoid sensing mechanisms, effects on CD8+ T cell responses and its impact on T cell protective potential. Techniques will include gene editing, bar coding and single-cell RNA-sequencing.
Objective
CD8+ T cells are critical for immunity against infection and cancer. Eliciting protective CD8+ T cell immunity is the main goal of many current and emerging immunotherapies aimed at treating these diseases, holding the promise to substantially improve patient outcomes. Evidence suggests that T cell regulation by tissue-derived factors is one of the key mechanisms influencing the protective potential of CD8+ T cell responses, however, the nature and molecular impact of these factors remains incompletely understood.
Building on our recent work, I propose that organ-specific regulation of CD8+ T cell immunity is driven by eicosanoids, a class of bioactive lipids, which act as tissue factors that locally shape CD8+ T cell differentiation and function. EICO-CODE aims to understand how eicosanoids shape CD8+ T cell responses in organs and to reveal their mechanistic implications for T cell immunity against cancer and viral infections. We will use newly developed methods for eicosanoid profiling and T cell eicosanoid sensing to define eicosanoid profiles across organs and identify how these locally provided factors are sensed by CD8+ T cells. We will further integrate approaches for T cell gene editing, T cell barcoding and single-cell RNA-sequencing with a unique set of organ-specific cancer and viral infection models, to reveal how eicosanoids modulate anti-cancer and anti-viral CD8+ T cell responses and test how this determines their protective potential.
This project will provide new mechanistic links between organ-derived bioactive lipid mediators and T cell immunity. These insights will influence our current understanding of how immune responses are adapted in different tissues and will help to identify new molecular targets and therapeutic strategies to enhance or reinvigorate protective immunity against cancer or infection.
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.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
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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.
Funding Scheme
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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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72074 Tuebingen
Germany
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