Project description
Exploring the metabolism of immune cells
The immune system is a complex network of organs, cells and proteins that defends the body against infection. Specialised cells in the immune system can adapt to the body’s changing conditions. These adaptations take place within highly organised tissue microenvironments, where shifts in nutrient and energy availability guide their behaviour. The ERC-funded MicroMeta project aims to study changes in immune cell metabolism. It will focus on the germinal centres in lymphoid tissue that contain B cells that proliferate to produce high-affinity antibodies. The project will cover responses in autoimmune diseases like systemic lupus erythematosus.
Objective
Immune responses occur in often highly compartmentalised tissue microenvironments, which in turn
define local metabolic conditions. In the architecture of lymphoid tissue, very little is known about
cellular metabolic interactions, or how immune cells adapt their metabolism in response to a changing
environment. The humoral immune response is essential for normal immunity, and its centrepiece is
the germinal centre (GC) reaction, which allows the generation of high-affinity antibodies and B cell
memory. The GC is tightly spatially organised in lymphoid tissue, but how this microenvironment
shapes the metabolism of GC B cells is unknown. In this project, we will explore two fundamental
questions in B cell metabolism. GC B cells, despite dividing at the highest rate of any cell, have a
highly distinct metabolism dependent on OxPhos. Yet, the processes which maintain this are poorly
understood. We will examine the role of dynamic mitochondrial morphology in GC homeostasis, using
comprehensive metabolic and immune phenotyping across multiple genetic models. In the second
aim, we will explore the effect and sensing of environmental metabolites on GC function, and how
stromal cells actively regulate their metabolic microenvironment, in both health and the autoimmune
disease systemic lupus erythematosus.
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.
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Programme(s)
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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.
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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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OX1 2JD Oxford
United Kingdom
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