Objective
Adult stem cells are the engines that drive tissue dynamics. Tissue homeostasis and regeneration are critically dependent on their self-renewal capability and differentiation to replenish cells of a tissue throughout life. Due to these unique properties, adult stem cells hold enormous potential for the treatment of various diseases. Moreover, recent findings suggest that cells with stem cell-like properties maintain some cancers including acute leukaemia, brain and breast cancers. Adult stem cell regulation is still poorly understood and significant hurdles need to be overcome before stem cells can be used efficiently and safely in the clinic. One of the greatest challenges is controlling stem cell behaviour outside of their natural microenvironment, as this would allow expanding them to sufficient numbers or differentiating them in a well-defined manner. Cell fate is determined by biochemical and physico-chemical factors, the physical environment around them (extracellular matrix) and mechanical stimuli. Recreating cell microenvironments artificially is a crucial aspect of stem cell research which has been tackled with considerable success using synthetic hydrogels. We propose the development of a microfluidic platform for simultaneous culture inside hydrogels, mechanical stimulation and drug screening of stem cells. Combining microfluidic technology with the in situ synthesis of hydrogels, we plan to create an efficient miniaturized cell microenvironment suitable for mechanical stimulation. The miniaturization of the culture will reduce the number of cells needed per experiment, a critical issue in stem cell research. The inclusion of microfluidic control modules will provide advanced fluidic handling and automation and will enable high-throughput and drug screening studies. We will use this platform study myofiber formation from muscle progenitor cells and induced pluripotent stem cells towards the development of therapies for muscle dystrophy.
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.
- social sciences sociology industrial relations automation
- medical and health sciences medical biotechnology cells technologies stem cells
- medical and health sciences clinical medicine oncology breast cancer
- medical and health sciences clinical medicine oncology leukemia
- medical and health sciences basic medicine physiology homeostasis
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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.
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-2009-IEF
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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
1015 LAUSANNE
Switzerland
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.