Skip to main content
Go to the home page of the European Commission (opens in new window)
English en
CORDIS - EU research results
CORDIS

Uncovering immune priming: A Game-Changer for Oyster Health and Aquaculture

Project description

Toward disease-resilient oyster aquaculture through immune memory

Vibrio aestuarianus is increasingly becoming the main pathogen of concern for Europe’s oyster industry. Supported by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the SHIELD project will design a preventive strategy and explore immune priming as an innate immune memory in the Pacific oyster (Magallana gigas). It will use state-of-the-art omics technologies, including transcriptomics, epigenomics, cell-based and metabolomics analyses. The overall goal is to identify the mechanisms underlying antibacterial immune priming in molluscs. Through the identification of the biological pathways and markers of immune memory, SHIELD is well positioned to provide relevant information for the sustainability of aquaculture in Europe.

Objective

The SHIELD project addresses a major challenge for European aquaculture: the increasing impact of Vibrio aestuarianus, a pathogen responsible for significant economic and ecological losses in oyster farming across Europe.This MSCA postdoctoral fellowship project aims to pioneer a novel, sustainable strategy to prevent vibrioses in bivalves, focusing on the Pacific oyster (Magallana gigas), by harnessing immune priming (IP), a recently recognized form of innate immune memory. Unlike classical adaptive immunity, IP (also known as trained immunity) enables the innate immune system to react in an adaptative manner to secondary infections, independently from specific antibodies. While IP has been described in various animal phyla, its mechanisms and practical applications remain largely unexplored in bivalves, particularly for bacterial infections. By leveraging cutting-edge multi-omics approaches - including transcriptomics, epigenetics, cellular, and metabolic profiling - this research will unravel the cellular and molecular foundations of antibacterial IP in oysters. The work will focus on identifying key molecular pathways and biomarkers of immune memory, with the aim of validating IP as a sustainable disease prevention strategy. This fellowship will provide advanced interdisciplinary training in integrative omics, immunology, and aquaculture, fostering the applicant’s development as a scientific leader in the field. The project builds on the host laboratory’s expertise and recent advances in molluscan immunology, ensuring a high probability of success and impactful results. By generating new knowledge and innovative solutions for disease management, SHIELD will contribute to the resilience and sustainability of European aquaculture, addressing both economic and environmental priorities in line with the European Green Deal and Horizon Europe objectives.

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.

You need to log in or register to use this function

Keywords

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.

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.

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.

HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships

See all projects funded under this funding scheme

Call for proposal

Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.

(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2025-PF

See all projects funded under this call

Coordinator

INSTITUT FRANCAIS DE RECHERCHE POUR L'EXPLOITATION DE LA MER
Net EU contribution

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.

€ 226 420,56
Address
1625 ROUTE DE SAINTE ANNE ZONE INDUSTRIELLE DE LA POINTE DU DIABLE
29280 Plouzane
France

See on map

Region
Bretagne Bretagne Finistère
Activity type
Research Organisations
Links
Total cost

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.

No data