Objective
ImmuneCellStates is a high-risk/high-gain project to redefine the framework of plant immunity, positioning immune cell states as its fundamental building blocks. Unlike mammals, plants lack specialized immune cells. Instead, individual cells, normally dedicated to non-immune functions, transition their states through diverse mechanisms to engage in defense during pathogen attack. My recent work combining single-cell multiomics and spatial transcriptomics revealed that plants flexibly deploy molecularly distinct immune cell states across infected tissues. Yet their diversity, regulation, and function remain poorly understood.
Recent technological breakthroughs offer a path to close this gap. I developed a method to map gene expression in 3D plant tissues at unprecedented resolution. In parallel, deep learning now reveals the regulatory logic of cell-specific gene expression, and genome editing enables multiplexed perturbations to dissect complex traits masked by genetic redundancy. However, these methods have yet to be deployed to their full potential.
ImmuneCellStates will unite these transformative technologies in an innovative framework to chart, decode, and functionally test immune cell states in plants, an approach not yet attempted. The project tackles three linked but independent aims:
(1) CELL STATES: Map immune cell states with 3D spatial context and pathogen proximity.
(2) REGULATION: Decode cis-regulatory logic driving cell state-specific immune gene expression.
(3) FUNCTION: Perturb cell state regulators to test causal roles in resistance.
This interdisciplinary approach will bridge molecular and cellular views of plant immunity, laying the groundwork for a mechanistic understanding of a multicellular system of programmable immune cell states. ImmuneCellStates will transform our view of plant immunity and provide a widely applicable framework to study cell states, opening new paths for discovery in plant biology and crop engineering.
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.
- medical and health sciences medical biotechnology genetic engineering gene therapy
- agricultural sciences agriculture, forestry, and fisheries agriculture
- natural sciences computer and information sciences artificial intelligence machine learning deep learning
- natural sciences biological sciences zoology mammalogy
- natural sciences biological sciences genetics genomes
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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.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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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.
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-ERC - HORIZON ERC Grants
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2026-STG
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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.
NR47UH Norwich
United Kingdom
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.