Project description
Mapping the future of heart repair
Imagine if doctors were able to regenerate a damaged heart. While this is the future of regenerative medicine, traditional tissue engineering remains a challenge due to unpredictable cell behaviour. The ERC-funded Bio-DESIGN project aims to develop advanced computational models that simulate how the body’s own inflammatory cells orchestrate healing. By investigating mechanosensitive Notch signalling in macrophages, researchers aim to understand the precise biological triggers that transform biodegradable scaffolds into functional living tissue. This approach combines lab experiments with multiscale modelling to explore how specialised scaffolds can guide regeneration. Ultimately, Bio-DESIGN offers a strategy for treating atherosclerosis and myocardial infarction, and provides new hope for patients worldwide.
Objective
Regenerative medicine aims to cure diseased tissues by restoring their physiological organization and thus functionality. In the context of in situ cardiovascular tissue engineering (CVTE), implanted biodegradable scaffolds gradually transform into living tissues, such as blood vessels and heart valves, via inflammation-driven neo-tissue growth and remodeling (G&R). Previous trial-and-error attempts to re-establish the physiological organization have mainly resulted in unexpected outcomes and high failure rates. Mechanistic computational models are urgently needed to unravel mechanisms and force breakthroughs in the field. Current computational models mainly focus on (sub)cellular G&R phenomena. Cell-cell signaling pathways that are critical for orchestrating tissue organization, and the key role of inflammatory cells in in situ regeneration have been largely ignored. In this project, I aim to develop novel computational models to understand how mechanosensitive Notch signaling in macrophages controls in situ cardiovascular regeneration. I will adopt a unique, multidisciplinary approach, where quantitative in vitro experiments will inform the development of multiscale computational models of Notch-mediated in situ regeneration. I will leverage these models to investigate how Notch-mediated G&R can be locally controlled via mechanical metamaterial scaffolds, to initiate the emergence of physiological tissue DESIGN. If successful, these mechanistic computational models will provide a new angle to understanding mechano-regulated G&R. They can give unprecedented insights into the underlying mechanisms of in situ regeneration, and can uncover novel strategies to regenerate physiologically organized tissues. This will not only push the frontiers of in situ CVTE, but also provide new outlooks for the broader field of regenerative medicine and for investigating pathologies in which inflammatory cells play a dominant role (e.g. atherosclerosis, myocardial infarction).
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.
- medical and health sciences clinical medicine cardiology cardiovascular diseases arteriosclerosis
- medical and health sciences basic medicine pathology
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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)
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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
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
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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-COG
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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.
5612 AE Eindhoven
Netherlands
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.