Objective
Cellular studies in neuroscience are hampered by the fact that in vitro cultures of primary neurons are complex, variable and heterogeneous, making studies on cultured neurons time consuming, labour intensive and not scalable. Especially for single cell studies on synaptic transmission and cellular trafficking, this is a major limitation. Both in academia and industry, mitotic cells are commonly used as a proxy for neurons (e.g. PC12 cells). However, while being less variable and better scalable, such cells model neurons only to a limited extent. These cells make no functional contacts (synapses) and do not have the same polarized organization that neurons have, which limits the validity for studies on synaptic transmission and cellular trafficking. Most commonly prescribed drugs for brain disorders target synapses. Yet, drug screening, lead finding/optimization and safety studies build either on cells that make no synapses or on labor-intensive low-throughput assays. Hence, new, standardized, scalable assays using real (synaptic) neurons, will provide a substantial step forward both for academia and industry.
This application aims to develop a nano-electrode chip with an electrode array to stimulate, record and image many single neurons with high-resolution, for a period up to several weeks. This approach provides imaging data at single synapse and single organelle resolution and synaptic transmission data at high-throughput. Together, this will not only facilitate and standardize cellular assays using real neurons, but also upscale throughput 100 fold. In addition to the chip itself, we also see market potential for the method (growing/recording neurons on chips) and for a fee-for-service company that offers high throughput compound screening on synaptic neurons.
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.
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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.
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H2020-EU.1.1. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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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.
ERC-POC - Proof of Concept Grant
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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) ERC-2014-PoC
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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.
1081 HV Amsterdam
Netherlands
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.