Objective
Disorders of skeletal growth in children represent a significant clinical challenge affecting stature, limb alignment and function. Longitudinal bone growth is driven by the physis (growth plate), a specialised cartilaginous tissue that integrates endocrine, metabolic and biomechanical signals to regulate bone elongation. Despite its central role in skeletal development, there is currently no strategy to selectively target the physis for therapeutic intervention. Existing treatments rely on systemic hormone therapy or invasive surgery, both of which lack anatomical specificity and can cause significant side effects or morbidity.
GROW-REG aims to establish the first molecular targeting platform for the physis by identifying cell surface markers that are enriched in physeal chondrocytes relative to articular cartilage and remain robust across postnatal development. These proteins represent potential molecular entry points for selective delivery of therapeutics directly to growth plate signalling pathways. The project builds on discoveries from the ERC-funded ReZone project, which revealed major transcriptomic differences between articular and physeal cartilage.
The research will generate the first systematic map of the physeal chondrocyte “surfaceome”. Candidate markers will be prioritised based on enrichment in physis over articular cartilage, confirmed cell-surface localisation, reproducibility across developmental stages, and suitability for therapeutic targeting.
GROW-REG will create the foundation for a targeted delivery platform capable of modulating growth plate activity with high anatomical precision. Our approach has the potential to enable new treatments for a broad range of paediatric growth disorders, reduce reliance on invasive surgery, and improve the safety and specificity of existing biologic therapies.
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 surgery
- natural sciences biological sciences biochemistry biomolecules proteins
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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)
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-POC - HORIZON ERC Proof of Concept 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-POC
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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.
4 Dublin
Ireland
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.