Project description
Influenza immunity from local cells
The immune system jumps into action when the body detects intruders. B cells create an army of antibodies to bind and inactivate the enemies in a lock-and-key fashion. Vaccines prime this defense system, causing the body to create antibodies to inactive antigens that do not make us sick. Effective vaccination against the flu has been particularly tricky because the influenza virus keeps changing. LUNG-BIM researchers are on the trail of B cells in lung tissue that can fight multiple strains of the flu. Elucidating tissue-specific immunity via multi-strain neutralising antibodies will have inestimable impact, potentially stopping some of the most pernicious diseases in their tracks.
Objective
Vaccination is widely considered one of the greatest medical achievements for preventing infectious diseases. The basis for most currently licensed human vaccines relies on the induction of high affinity antibodies by antigen-specific B cells that can neutralise pathogens in case of future exposures. The widespread immunity that vaccination conveys has led to worldwide eradication of smallpox and the elimination of diseases such as polio, diphtheria, and tetanus from most parts of the world. In spite of the worldwide effort to generate a universal flu vaccine, the induction of long-lasting protective immunity has been, so far, unsuccessful owing to the rapid antigenic variation of influenza virus. Due to these limitations, influenza infection remains a serious threat to public health and economy, with 5 to 30% of the world population acquiring seasonal influenza virus every year. Interestingly, it was recently shown that antibodies derived from lung-resident germinal centre B cells, unlike those arising from lymph nodes or spleen, bear the ability to neutralise different strain variants of the virus. These findings not only uncover the physiological advantage of tissue-specific germinal centres but also underscore the potential of targeting B cells directly at the lung mucosa to generate protective vaccines against highly variable viruses. My research plan aims to unveil the early events involved in the induction of B cell immunity at the lung mucosa, with a focus on how respiratory antigens are delivered to B cells at the barrier surface. A precise delineation of the initial steps required for the generation of broadly-neutralising antibodies upon respiratory infection will provide invaluable medical insights towards the development of a universal flu vaccine.
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 health sciences public health
- natural sciences biological sciences microbiology virology
- medical and health sciences health sciences infectious diseases RNA viruses influenza
- medical and health sciences basic medicine pharmacology and pharmacy pharmaceutical drugs vaccines
You need to log in or register to use this function
We are sorry... an unexpected error occurred during execution.
You need to be authenticated. Your session might have expired.
Thank you for your feedback. You will soon receive an email to confirm the submission. If you have selected to be notified about the reporting status, you will also be contacted when the reporting status will change.
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.
-
H2020-EU.1.3. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
MAIN PROGRAMME
See all projects funded under this programme -
H2020-EU.1.3.2. - Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility
See all projects funded under this programme
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 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)
See all projects funded under this funding scheme
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-2018
See all projects funded under this callCoordinator
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.
75654 PARIS
France
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.