Objective
The quest to restore damaged organs is one of the major challenges in medicine. Recent studies in both animals and in humans suggest that the heart has a limited capacity to replenish its own cardiomyocytes (CMs) throughout life, albeit inadequate to compensate for major injuries such as acute myocardial infarction (MI). Most therapeutic research in regenerative cardiogenesis is geared toward stem cell therapy as a means to replace lost CMs associated with ischemic heart disease. Clinical data evaluating the efficacy of cell-based therapy for heart disease are relatively disappointing. This proposal encompasses multidisciplinary and novel approaches to study the molecular and cellular mechanisms that govern the proliferation, differentiation and dedifferentiation of endogenous CMs, combining developmental-, systems- and cell-biology methodologies in vitro and in vivo, in chick, rodent, and human tissue samples. First, we will perform combinatorial perturbations of signaling pathways in chick embryos, focusing primarily on the FGF-ERK pathway, to investigate the molecular switch between cardiac progenitors and CMs (Aim 1). Because adult CMs have limited proliferative capacity, mainly due to mechanical constraints, in Aim 2, we will apply state-of-the-art techniques in cell biology, to determine whether specific mechno-transduction stimuli can prime the proliferation of differentiated CMs. In order to gain deeper insights into the capacity of adult CMs to renew themselves under normal and pathological conditions, in Aim 3, we will employ a novel cell lineage methodology in mouse and human tissue, based on information encoded in genome. Using this methodology, we hope to shed light on the maintenance, renewal and regenerative capacities of adult CMs in vivo. The expected outcome will be a significantly greater understanding of the bidirectional transition from proliferating cardiac progenitors into differentiated CMs, in embryonic and adult hearts.
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.
- natural sciences biological sciences cell biology
- medical and health sciences medical biotechnology cells technologies stem cells
- medical and health sciences clinical medicine embryology
- natural sciences biological sciences genetics genomes
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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.
ERC-2011-StG_20101109
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.
Host institution
7610001 Rehovot
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.