Objective
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death worldwide. Growing evidence shows that circadian rhythms profoundly shape cardiac health, governing the timing and severity of cardiac events, influencing drug efficacy, and, when chronically disrupted (e.g. in shift work, sleep disorders, or jet lag), markedly increasing disease risk. Yet, the mechanisms by which they regulate the human heart remain unknown, as current knowledge relies largely on animal models with limited translational relevance. Predictive human heart models capable of capturing circadian rhythms and their regulation would be transformative for cardiac research and precision medicine. Building on my expertise in engineered cardiac tissues and organs-on-chip (OOC), I propose to develop a pioneering 4D heart-on-a-chip that models, monitors, and manipulates circadian rhythms, in a physiologically relevant model of the human heart (Aim 1). This platform will integrate tissues composed of reporter cell lines for real-time tracking of intrinsic circadian rhythmicity in tissues linked to an OOC system delivering oscillating hormones and metabolites that simulate light-dark and feeding-fasting cycles. These cues will be applied through an automated feedback-loop system, either in synchrony or in deliberate misalignment with the tissue’s intrinsic rhythms, to enable modeling of both homeostatic and disrupted conditions. Using this unique approach, I propose to address two fundamental questions at the intersection of cardiac biology and chronobiology: (i) how the time-of-day modulates cardiac sensitivity to injury (Aim 2), and (ii) how circadian misalignment leads to cardiac disease (Aim 3). Beyond mechanistic studies, the 4D platform will provide an unprecedented testbed for developing circadian-guided therapies. Successful completion of this work will help reduce the global burden of heart disease and transform the prediction, prevention, and treatment of time-sensitive cardiovascular pathologies.
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 clinical medicine psychiatry sleep disorders
- medical and health sciences basic medicine physiology pathophysiology
- medical and health sciences clinical medicine cardiology cardiovascular diseases
- medical and health sciences basic medicine pathology
- medical and health sciences health sciences personalized medicine
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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.
69978 Tel Aviv
Israel
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.