Project description
Immune memory in the lungs
The immune system comprises two main branches. The adaptive immune system mounts targeted responses and retains memory of past infections, while the innate immune system provides rapid, non-specific defence. Innate immunity was long thought to lack memory, but emerging evidence suggests that innate immune cells can undergo lasting functional changes after infection, a phenomenon called trained immunity. Whether respiratory epithelial cells, the first barrier encountered by airborne pathogens, can acquire similar memory remains poorly understood. With the support of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the REMEMORY project investigates trained immunity in human airway epithelium using physiologically relevant in vitro models. By characterising metabolic, epigenomic and proteomic changes, the project aims to reveal novel therapeutic targets for preventing and treating respiratory infections.
Objective
Immunological memory, once thought to be exclusive to the adaptive immune system, is now increasingly recognized as a feature of innate immunity. This phenomenon, known as trained immunity, enables innate immune cells to undergo lasting functional changes after an initial infection, improving their response to future immune challenges. While trained immunity is well characterized in some cell types, its role in non-immune cells such as epithelium remains understudied. Respiratory epithelium is a major site of pathogen exposure, and recent studies hint at the ability for respiratory epithelial cells to undergo trained immunity. This project will provide a comprehensive analysis of trained immunity in the respiratory epithelium using a physiologically relevant in vitro model of human airway epithelium. An interdisciplinary approach will be used to characterize metabolic, epigenomic, transcriptomic, and proteomic changes associated with the trained phenotype. Functional relevance will be assessed through viral challenge experiments, and findings will be validated using clinical respiratory cell samples collected after viral infection. Altogether, this work will expand the understanding of trained immunity in barrier tissues and may reveal novel therapeutic targets for preventing and treating respiratory infections.
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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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.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
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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-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
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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) HORIZON-MSCA-2025-PF
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69622 Villeurbanne Cedex
France
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