Objective
Stem cells are generally thought to maintain homeostasis in adult tissues, producing committed progenitor cells that in turn generate terminal differentiated cells. Although adult stem cells have been studied intensively, far less is known about how they function in vivo to maintain tissue homeostasis. It has long been assumed that adult tissues are maintained by long lived, slow cycling, self renewing stem cells which generate a population of committed progenitors known as “transit amplifying” (TA) cells. TA cells undergo several rounds of proliferation, after which they terminally differentiate. This widely accepted model has been called into question by a recent study of the epidermis, which shows that the normal tissue is maintained by a single type of progenitor cell capable of both asymmetric and symmetric cell division, stem cells being quiescent under normal conditions. It is unclear whether this single compartment model will apply to other tissues as well as the epidermis. In this project we will study how tissue homeostasis is achieved in another stratified squamous epithelium, that of the oesophagus. By defining the behaviour of a representative sample of progenitor cells, we will be able to determine whether their behaviour conforms to the predictions of the stem and TA cell hypothesis or an alternative model. Since many of the pathways that control normal stem cell fate have been associated to tumour development, advances in the knowledge of the oesophageal homeostasis will establish the basis for further research in the study of the molecular alterations that lead to cancer development in this little studied but important tissue, which is a common cause of human disease.
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 cells technologies stem cells
- medical and health sciences clinical medicine oncology
- medical and health sciences basic medicine physiology homeostasis
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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.
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.
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.
FP7-PEOPLE-2007-2-1-IEF
See other projects for this call
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.
Coordinator
W1B 1AL LONDON
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.