Project description
Changes in the microbiota during pregnancy and development of preeclampsia
Preeclampsia (PE), or toxaemia, is a condition late in pregnancy characterised by high blood pressure, protein in urine and swelling in the legs, feet and hands. PE is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in pregnancy. The pathogenesis remains unknown, but it is thought to be associated with the loss of immune-tolerance at the maternal–foetal interface. At present, preeclampsia can neither be reliably predicted nor prevented. The EU-funded DaPhNls project will investigate how changes in the gut microbiota during pregnancy impact immune responses at the maternal–foetal interface and try to elucidate the consequences on pregnancy outcomes and offspring immune development. The translational relevance of the findings will be evaluated in a large patient cohort, with the identification of potential biomarkers and molecular mechanisms amenable to therapeutic intervention.
Objective
Preeclampsia is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in pregnancy. Although the pathogenesis remains largely elusive, it is thought to reside in loss of immune-tolerance at the maternal-foetal interface. At present, preeclampsia can neither be reliably predicted nor prevented.
Scope of this research project is to investigate how changes in microbiota during pregnancy impact immune responses at the maternal-foetal interface, and to determine the consequences on pregnancy outcomes as well as development of offspring’s immunity. Translational relevance of findings specifically to preeclampsia will be evaluated in a large cohort of patients, with implications potentially arising from the identification of novel biomarkers and of molecular mechanisms amenable to pharmacologic intervention.
The Experienced Researcher (ER) of this study, Dr. Silvia Giugliano, is an accomplished immunologist with primary expertise in organ-specific immune responses to microbes. Formerly an independent academic researcher in the USA, she was recently recruited to work at the European Institute of Oncology (Milan, Italy) by Prof. Maria Rescigno, a world-class expert in the field of microbiota and mucosal immunity, specifically to advance the hosting laboratory’s expertise in placental immunity.
There is an urgent call for actions aimed at improving women’s health, and it is incumbent on the scientific community to tackle this issue. Thus, the present proposal captures the current zeitgeist and social responsibility of Science. Complementary, prime expertise between the ER and host laboratory will create a synergistic enterprise, ideally suited to the pursuit of this ambitious research goal. Findings and hypotheses generated in this process will kick off additional, related projects, and will be disseminated beyond the boundaries of the scientific community and to public audiences. The ER will emerge with new skills, and the capability to transition to independence in her home country.
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 basic medicine immunology
- medical and health sciences clinical medicine obstetrics
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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.1.3. - 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-EF-SE - Society and Enterprise panel
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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-2017
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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.
20100 Rozzano (Mi)
Italy
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.