Obiettivo The bottom-up assembly of tissue from cellular building blocks constitutes a promising, yet highly challenging approach to engineer complex tissues. The challenge lies in controlling cell-cell interactions, which determine how cells organize with respect to each other, how they work together and consequently whether such a multicellular architecture will be functional. The limited spatial and temporal control over cell-cell interactions current biological and chemical approaches provide severely restricts bottom-up tissue engineering. Here, I propose a new way to control cell-cell interactions. I aim to regulate cell-cell interactions with visible light using proteins that reversibly homo- or heterodimerize under blue or red light. These photoswitchable cell-cell interactions provide sustainable, non-invasive, dynamic and reversible control over cell-cell interactions with unprecedented spatial and temporal resolution. First of all, we will focus on various light dependent protein interactions to mediate cell-cell contacts. The detailed characterization (strength, dynamics, interaction modes and orthogonality) of these new photoswitchable cell-cell interactions will provide the framework for the bottom-up construction of tissue-like structures. Secondly, we will use these photoswitchable cell-cell interactions to assemble cells into multicellular architectures with predictable and programmable organization. The dynamic and reversible nature of the photoswitchable contacts will allow us to locally alter interactions at any point in time, to rearrange and obtain asymmetric multicellular structures, which are typical of tissues. Finally, we will also explore how the photoswitchable cell-cell interactions alter cell behavior and signaling. Ultimately, this will pave the way for the bottom-up assembly of multicellular architectures, enabling us to control precisely and dynamically their organization in space and time as well as regulate how cells work together. Campo scientifico scienze naturaliscienze biologichebiochimicabiomolecoleproteinescienze mediche e della salutebiotecnologia medicaingegneria dei tessuti Parole chiave Photoswitchable cell-cell interactions Programma(i) H2020-EU.1.1. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - European Research Council (ERC) Main Programme Argomento(i) ERC-2017-STG - ERC Starting Grant Invito a presentare proposte ERC-2017-STG Vedi altri progetti per questo bando Meccanismo di finanziamento ERC-STG - Starting Grant Coordinatore UNIVERSITAT MUNSTER Contribution nette de l'UE € 1 683 867,50 Indirizzo Schlossplatz 2 48149 Munster Germania Mostra sulla mappa Regione Nordrhein-Westfalen Münster Münster, Kreisfreie Stadt Tipo di attività Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Collegamenti Contatta l’organizzazione Opens in new window Sito web Opens in new window Partecipazione a programmi di R&I dell'UE Opens in new window Rete di collaborazione HORIZON Opens in new window Altri finanziamenti € 0,00 Beneficiari (2) Classifica in ordine alfabetico Classifica per Contributo netto dell'UE Espandi tutto Riduci tutto UNIVERSITAT MUNSTER Germania Contribution nette de l'UE € 1 683 867,50 Indirizzo Schlossplatz 2 48149 Munster Mostra sulla mappa Regione Nordrhein-Westfalen Münster Münster, Kreisfreie Stadt Tipo di attività Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Collegamenti Contatta l’organizzazione Opens in new window Sito web Opens in new window Partecipazione a programmi di R&I dell'UE Opens in new window Rete di collaborazione HORIZON Opens in new window Altri finanziamenti € 0,00 MAX-PLANCK-GESELLSCHAFT ZUR FORDERUNG DER WISSENSCHAFTEN EV Partecipazione conclusa Germania Contribution nette de l'UE € 253 132,50 Indirizzo Hofgartenstrasse 8 80539 Munchen Mostra sulla mappa Regione Bayern Oberbayern München, Kreisfreie Stadt Tipo di attività Research Organisations Collegamenti Contatta l’organizzazione Opens in new window Sito web Opens in new window Partecipazione a programmi di R&I dell'UE Opens in new window Rete di collaborazione HORIZON Opens in new window Altri finanziamenti € 0,00