Chromatin architecture and Design

Project Information

ChromDesign

Grant agreement ID: 813327

DOI

10.3030/813327

Project closed

EC signature date 20 August 2018

Start date 1 September 2018

End date 28 February 2023

Funded under

• EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Total cost

€ 3 408 207,12

EU contribution

€ 3 408 207,12

Coordinated by

FUNDACIO CENTRE DE REGULACIO GENOMICA
Spain

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - ChromDesign (Chromatin architecture and Design)

Reporting period: 2020-09-01 to 2023-02-28

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

Understanding human disease often means facing complex challenges that require a holistic approach to problem-solving. Inter-, and trans-disciplinary research is essential in meeting these challenges, as it brings together different perspectives and expertise to tackle complex scientific problems and communicate the results effectively.
ChromDesign – Chromatin Architecture and Design is a Marie-Skłodowska Curie Action (MSCA) Innovative Training Network (ITN), coordinated by CRG and involving 11 European academic and private institutions and 6 partner organizations. The network is a prime example of how trans-disciplinary research can drive innovation and progress in the field of chromatin architecture and design.
The scientific objectives encompass the characterization of the mechanisms and the impact of chromatin organization on gene regulation during cellular differentiation in normal and pathologic states, to further understand human disease and identify novel therapeutic approaches.
Notwithstanding, ChromDesign worked towards this by seamlessly integrating into this process communicators and designers to develop innovative approaches for sharing these very specialized results not only to the scientific community, but also to a non-specialized audience, thus being part of a process that we called within the network: “From the lab to the street”.
The network brings together top international scientists and designers to tackle complex challenges in the field of chromatin biology while training and empowering 14 Early-Stage Researchers (ESRs) in state-of-the-art epigenetics research, but also transferable skills and science communication, thus highlighting one of the key strengths of the ChromDesign network: the intersection between science, communication, and design.
In ChromDesign, we are convinced that these trans-disciplinary approaches are very beneficial not only for the training of researchers but to the future of science, driving innovation, and providing valuable skills to everyone involved in the network.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

ChromDesign provided a balanced set of training courses on different disciplines and technologies, and complementary skills under the umbrella of an integrated advanced research-training program. This program empowered a new generation of young scientists with “wet” and “dry” research skills, and who were able to work and communicate across disciplines, research fields, and sectors.
The ESRs carried out their individual research projects in the host laboratories, which will result in the completion of 12 PhD theses by the end of 2023 and the beginning of 2024. All the ESRs were trained in independent and critical thinking and worked in a multi-cultural and multi-disciplinary team. At the moment of this report, 6 peer-reviewed publications have been published from the research project of the network.
The network provided dedicated research courses and interdisciplinary and transferable skills training, which dealt with new technological developments in computational and experimental techniques, such as imaging or genome structure determination, that had a direct impact on academia as well as in industry. Through the transferable skills training, the students learned how to communicate clearly and effectively, manage their projects, organize conferences, and disseminate their research to a variety of audiences from the general public to school students, research colleagues, and potential employers or funders. Additionally, they received training on IP strategies and business development, to foster their innovation skills.
Overall, the ESRs were part of an extremely stimulating research environment in which the newest approaches were developed into practical applications of research and science communication and education. In total, the network organized 14 specialized training courses for the development of the ESRs’ research, interdisciplinary, and transferable skills.
A unique feature of this consortium was the collaboration with a designer school. Design applied to scientific research and communication is a field for emerging job opportunities in research centers, medical industry, and education.
An example of the great benefit of this trans-disciplinary approach was the co-creation, by using methodologies of research design and technology, of the science-inspired exhibition and experience “Life’s Journey, The Blocks That Build Us All” which allowed visitors to take a journey through DNA, from its basic units to its 3D structure up close, embodied by a 2 meters interactive technology structure, representing the spatial structure of the DNA and allowing the visitors to create DNA sequences, edit them, and correct mutations that would produce a genetic disease; which is ultimately the goal of many researchers working in the field.
Finally, the exhibition also highlights the important contributions of the research done within the network by the ChromDesign ESRs, to bring forward the exciting and growing field of chromatin architecture. The exhibition was presented to a wide audience in the design school ELISAVA, the research hub PRBB in Barcelona, and the Science is Wonderful! event in Brussels, reaching about 9 thousand people.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

To achieve our ambitious goals, we developed a highly interdisciplinary research and training network, which exploited the integrated analysis of several state-of-the-art technologies from genomics, imaging, cell biology, bioinformatics, modelling, and design.
In brief, the network has contributed to important technical developments (Hauth, et al. 2022, JoVE) and advancements in the understanding of chromatin structure and dynamics (Zuin, Roth, Zhan, Redolfi, Piskaldo, Mach et al. 2022, Nature; Mach, et al. 2022, Nat Gen; Sankar, Mohammad, Kumar-Sundaramurthy, et al. 2022, Nat Gen), and epigenetic mechanisms of leukemia (Mas, Santoro, Blanco, Gamarra-Figueroa, et al. 2022, Genes Dev) and at least 7 more publications are envisioned to contribute to the field.
The acquired knowledge will contribute to identifying novel targets that can be exploited for both the diagnosis and treatment of human pathologies, thus having a significant impact on the patients’ lives. Moreover, nowadays the study of chromatin architecture is restricted due to its technical complexity and high cost. Our network contributed to making this research more accessible by optimizing a Capture Hi-C protocol for high-resolution (Hauth, et al. 2022, JoVE).
Finally, the need of communicating the scientific results to the general public inspired us to develop a communication toolkit (Molins-Pitarch, 2021, Zenodo), which facilitates the process of sharing complex scientific concepts with society. This already had a very positive impact on the communication skills of all the researchers involved in the network, but also the different outreach activities and the Life’s Journey exhibition made it possible to communicate our work to more than 9 thousand people from a wide variety of audiences.

chromdesign-scicomm-training-school-2020.jpg

chromdesign-projects.jpg

chromdesign-mid-term-check-2020.jpg

chromdesing-short.png

epic-conference-group.jpg