Project description
Decoding a genetic modifier to slow Huntington’s disease progression
Huntington’s disease is a fatal inherited brain disorder that causes progressive physical and cognitive decline. No cure is available. Although its genetic cause is well established, patients with identical mutations vary widely in disease onset and progression – differences shaped by modifier genes that remain poorly understood. With the support of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the HDFACT82 project aims to deliver the first systematic characterisation of one such modifier, CCDC82, potentially linked to chromatin regulation. Combining multi-omics approaches across cellular and animal models and human post-mortem brain tissue, the project aims to define how CCDC82 influences neuronal vulnerability and disease progression, potentially opening new therapeutic avenues for this devastating condition.
Objective
Huntington’s disease (HD) is an inherited, fatal brain disorder that causes progressive motor, cognitive, and psychiatric decline, affecting around 45,000 individuals in Europe, with no cure currently available. Although the genetic cause of HD—a CAG expansion in the huntingtin gene—is well established, patients carrying the same mutation often differ widely in age at onset, clinical presentation, and disease progression. Recent large-scale genetic studies have identified modifier genes that influence these differences, opening new therapeutic avenues. However, some of these modifiers remain poorly understood, limiting the translation of genetic discoveries into understanding of pathogenic mechanisms.
HDFACT82 will deliver the first systematic characterisation of one such genetic modifier, CCDC82, and test its role in HD progression. The project builds directly on strong preliminary evidence I have generated, linking CCDC82 to chromatin regulation via the FACT complex. By combining hypothesis-driven and unbiased multi-omic approaches across cellular and animal models, together with post-mortem human brain tissue analyses, HDFACT82 will generate comprehensive datasets to uncover the biological roles of CCDC82 and define how these contribute to neuronal vulnerability and disease progression in HD, potentially paving the way for novel therapies.
I will build on my PhD and postdoctoral training in molecular neurobiology, proteomics, and stem cells while working under the guidance of Prof. Jose J. Lucas, a leader in HD. His lab at the CBMSO, a top-tier research centre, offers a unique environment with state-of-the-art facilities, a dynamic scientific community, and strong translational networks. The MSCA fellowship will be crucial for advancing my scientific and transferable skills and represents a transformative step in my career, positioning me to achieve my ultimate goal of becoming an independent researcher.
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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.
- natural sciences biological sciences neurobiology
- natural sciences biological sciences biochemistry biomolecules proteins proteomics
- medical and health sciences medical biotechnology cells technologies stem cells
- natural sciences biological sciences genetics mutation
- natural sciences biological sciences molecular biology molecular neuroscience
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Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
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HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
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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-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
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(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2025-PF
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28006 Madrid
Spain
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