Objective
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) ranks third in cancer mortality worldwide. In spite of this, effective treatment options are limited, partly due to a poor understanding of the molecular basis of HCC, which hampers development of targeted therapies. Recently, cancer genome sequencing mapped the landscape of genetic aberrations in HCC and unexpectedly revealed the kinase RSK2 as the most frequently mutated gene in the RAS-RAF-ERK pathway. I hypothesize that RSK2 is a tumor suppressor in HCC by acting as a feed-back inhibitor of the RAS-ERK pathway, since I find that RSK2 mutations are nearly all loss-of-function and that RSK2 loss potently activates ERK kinases in liver cells. The goal of this proposal is to functionally establish RSK2 as a novel and important tumor suppressor in HCC and identify the mechanism(s) whereby RSK2 may feed-back inhibit the RAS-ERK pathway to promote this cancer. This will be achieved through modelling RSK2 loss in liver cells in vitro and in mice. Among other approaches, I will model RSK2-dependent HCC development by mutating genes found co-mutated with RSK2 directly in the adult mouse liver via hydrodynamic tail vein injection of CRISPR/Cas9 reagents, which may cause HCC within months. I will subject cells and mouse models to mechanistic biochemical and phenotypic studies to elucidate the role and mechanism of RSK2 as a tumor suppressor in HCC. Key findings will be validated in HCC patient samples.
The work will be performed in the context of my new role as assistant professor in the host lab, where I will be given formal supervision and management responsibilities. The work combines my postdoc experience in cancer genetics with my host´s beyond-state-of-the-art CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing techniques. Altogether, this fellowship has the potential to uncover new mechanisms for targeted intervention in HCC. Furthermore, it will be an important stepping stone for me towards an independent research career.
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 demography mortality
- medical and health sciences medical biotechnology genetic engineering gene therapy
- natural sciences biological sciences genetics mutation
- medical and health sciences clinical medicine oncology
- natural sciences biological sciences genetics genomes
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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.
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H2020-EU.1.3. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
MAIN PROGRAMME
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H2020-EU.1.3.2. - Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility
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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.
MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)
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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) H2020-MSCA-IF-2014
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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.
1165 KOBENHAVN
Denmark
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.