Project description
Engineering dynamic vesicles with an artificial cytoskeleton
Vesicles are surrounded by a lipid bilayer and serve as artificial models of cell membranes. Scientists of the EU-funded SHINEShift project aim to transform vesicles into dynamic structures capable of responding to external stimuli and resisting mechanical pressure. For this purpose, they will employ synthetic chemistry to develop an artificial cytoskeleton inside vesicles that consists of peptide-based tubules. These tubules will form and grow in response to light, thereby expanding the potential applications of the engineered vesicles. Moreover, the generated methodologies have the potential to be used in other fields, such as synthetic biology and materials science.
Objective
The most commonly used artificial cell membrane models are vesicles. However, these static structures, consisting of a lipid bilayer surrounding a fluid, are poor in resisting mechanical stress. Enhancing their mechanical properties with a dynamic artificial cytoskeleton will both allow stabilizing their shape and transforming these passive objects into dynamic stimuli-responsive systems. In this MSCA project photo-responsive synthetic supramolecular tubules will be used as an artificial cytoskeleton inside vesicles. My aim is to develop stiff and at the same time responsive tubules based on cyclic peptide design that can grow and generate pushing forces during the fueling step, and disassemble when the fuel stops, both in a fully reversible manner. This cutting edge interdisciplinary project brings together several disciplines in chemistry, i.e. organic synthesis and supramolecular chemistry with colloidal chemistry (and/or microfluidics), and its scientific impact will spread through various fields – from supramolecular chemistry to material science (leap from static vesicles to dynamic ones), and synthetic biology (relevance for future applications in the field of artificial cells). My expertise as experienced researcher in the field of organic synthesis will be applied to the field of dynamic supramolecular systems based on photo-switchable compounds in which the host (Dr. Kudernac) has made notable recent progress. During this training-through-research project I will be able to learn the preparation processes for the vesicles and microscopy techniques that are fundamental for investigating (dynamic) supramolecular assemblies and which will further expand my horizontal skills. In addition, training activities during this fellowship will strongly enhance my leadership and transferable skills. Hence, the Fellowship will allow me to become a distinctive researcher in a highly competitive scientific environment.
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.
- natural sciences physical sciences classical mechanics fluid mechanics microfluidics
- natural sciences biological sciences synthetic biology
- natural sciences physical sciences optics microscopy
- natural sciences biological sciences biochemistry biomolecules lipids
- engineering and technology environmental engineering energy and fuels
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.
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-EF-ST - Standard EF
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.
7522 NB Enschede
Netherlands
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.