Project description
Mapping Y chromosome loss in cancer
Loss of the Y chromosome (LOY) in men’s cells has been linked to major diseases, including cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, and cardiovascular conditions. It may also be a common consequence of ageing. However, how LOY in blood cells contributes to disease in other organs remains unclear. To address this, the ERC-funded TUMORLY project will develop a novel method to analyse tumours at single-cell resolution. Researchers will use this method to investigate how LOY affects both cancer cells and surrounding immune cells, thereby unveiling disease mechanisms. Project findings have the potential to improve cancer research and support the development of more effective, targeted treatments.
Objective
Results from my ERC funded DIALOY and HEARTLY projects establish that during-life acquired loss of chromosome Y (LOY) in blood cells contribute to all major causes of male deaths, incl. various types of cancer, Alzheimer’s disease and cardiovascular disease. Recent single cell analyses identify LOY-cells in the blood of all studied men and in many other tissues, suggesting that LOY might be an inevitable result of living. How LOY in blood contributes to increased risk for diseases manifesting in other organs is a fundamental question that needs further exploration.
We recently provided the first evidence that LOY in blood is causally related to reduced lifespan, by a profibrotic TGFβ-driven disease mechanism. Furthermore, LOY in tumor cells is common and drive male tumorigenesis by evasion of adaptive immunity in the tumor microenvironment. However, little is known about the interactions of LOY in cancer cells and tumor infiltrating leukocytes, both associated with male tumorigenesis.
In TUMORLY, the main objective is to develop a new spatial method that enables largescale and true single-cell transcriptomic analyses of tumor specimens. This is not possible by existing spatial technologies. The novel method will first be used for portraying the transcriptomic landscape in male colon cancer biopsies. This will allow for detailed exploration of disease mechanisms mediated by Y loss in tumor cells and infiltrating leukocytes simultaneously. Going forward, our method promises to become the next generation spatial technology, owing to properties such as its single-cell resolution and feasibility with other omics, such as genomics, epigenomics and proteomics. Combined with its affordability and ease-of-use, the method has the potential to revolutionize and democratize single-cell spatial biology. I envision that a successful implementation of the new method in research settings will facilitate important discoveries that will benefit patients and societies at large
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.
- natural sciences biological sciences biochemistry biomolecules proteins proteomics
- medical and health sciences clinical medicine oncology colorectal cancer
- medical and health sciences clinical medicine cardiology cardiovascular diseases
- natural sciences biological sciences genetics chromosomes
- natural sciences biological sciences genetics epigenetics
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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)
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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
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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-ERC-POC - HORIZON ERC Proof of Concept Grants
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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-POC
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751 05 Uppsala
Sweden
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