Objective
Traditional geographic ranges of insect pests are altered by globalization and climate change, resulting in emerging threats for natural ecosystems, agriculture and human health. It is urgent to improve our ability to swiftly develop targeted solutions to contain such threats, while minimizing unintended side effects on the environment.
Densovirinae are very small, single-stranded DNA viruses pathogenic to a variety of arthropods, including pythophagous caterpillars and grasshoppers, as well as disease vectors such as aphids and mosquitoes. Host ranges appear to vary considerably amongst even closely related densoviruses. A better understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying virulence and specificity is necessary to evaluate the risk and opportunities associated with potential use in controlling natural insect populations.
We propose to discover these molecular determinants through the use of precisely designed libraries of viral genomes. We will leverage cost-effective and scalable DNA synthesis and sequencing technologies to generate high-throughput implementation and testing of precise molecular hypotheses. These will be informed by currently available knowledge and further deepened by bioinformatic analysis of natural sequences. We will produce ~106 controlled variants of the viral capsid as well as select viral regulatory sequence elements (enhancers, splicing and translation start sites). Resulting libraries will be subjected to multiplexed, deep-sequencing-based functional assays.
The scale of this approach will permit to reconstitute the sequence-structure-activity relationships required to relate viral genomes to host specificity and propagation efficiency. These data will support the development of models to predict the behavior of a viral genome in a new ecology, assess its potential for future evolution and inform the safe use of viral vectors for the targeted biocontrol of insect populations.
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 genetic engineering gene therapy
- natural sciences biological sciences microbiology virology
- natural sciences biological sciences genetics genomes viral genomes
- medical and health sciences health sciences infectious diseases DNA viruses
- natural sciences biological sciences zoology invertebrate zoology
You need to log in or register to use this function
We are sorry... an unexpected error occurred during execution.
You need to be authenticated. Your session might have expired.
Thank you for your feedback. You will soon receive an email to confirm the submission. If you have selected to be notified about the reporting status, you will also be contacted when the reporting status will change.
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.
-
H2020-EU.1.3. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
MAIN PROGRAMME
See all projects funded under this programme -
H2020-EU.1.3.2. - Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility
See all projects funded under this programme
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.
MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)
See all projects funded under this funding scheme
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) H2020-MSCA-IF-2014
See all projects funded under this callCoordinator
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.
75007 PARIS CEDEX 07
France
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.