Objective
How complex but stereotyped tissues are formed, maintained and regenerated through local growth, differentiation and remodeling is a fundamental open question in biology. Understanding how single cell behaviors are coordinated on the population level and how population-level dynamics is coupled to tissue architecture is required to resolve this question as well as to develop stem cell (SC) therapies and effective treatments against cancers.
As a self-renewing organ maintained by multiple distinct SC populations, the epidermis represents an outstanding, clinically highly relevant research paradigm to address this question. A key epidermal SC population are the hair follicle stem cells (HFSCs) that fuel hair follicle regeneration, repair epidermal injuries and, when deregulated, initiate carcinogenesis. The major obstacle in mechanistic understanding of HFSC regulation has been the lack of an in vitro culture system enabling their precise monitoring and manipulation. We have overcome this barrier by developing a method for long-term maintenance of multipotent HFSCs that recapitulates the complexity of HFSC fate decisions and dynamic crosstalk between HFSCs and their progeny.
This breakthrough invention puts me in the unique position to investigate how HFSCs self-organize into a network of SCs and progenitors through population-level signaling crosstalk and phenotypic plasticity. This project will uncover the spatiotemporal dynamics of HFSCs fate decisions and establish the role of the niche in this process (Aim1), decipher key gene-regulatory networks and epigenetic barriers that control phenotypic plasticity (Aim2), and discover druggable signaling networks that drive bi-directional reprogramming of HFSCs and their progeny (Aim3). By deconstructing complex tissue-level behaviors at an unprecedented spatiotemporal resolution this study has the potential to transform the fundaments of adult SC biology with immediate implications to regenerative medicine.
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 cells technologies stem cells
- medical and health sciences clinical medicine oncology
- engineering and technology environmental engineering energy and fuels
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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.1.1. - 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-COG - Consolidator 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-2017-COG
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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.
00014 HELSINGIN YLIOPISTO
Finland
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.