Project description
Transcriptional recording as a novel approach to monitoring biological processes
The EU-funded CRISPRhistory project aims to introduce a novel approach to enable the continuous monitoring of biological and pathological processes in the mammalian gut. The new method is based on the recently developed transcriptional recording (TR) using CRISPR spacer acquisition from RNA to capture and convert intracellular RNAs into DNA, permanently storing transcriptional information in the DNA of living cells. The acquired sequences serve as transcriptional records easily retrievable via deep sequencing. The current project will focus on improving the efficiency of TR, combining it with biosensing gene circuits and demonstrating that TR facilitates the investigation of the mammalian gut environment and can be applied as a live diagnostic tool. In summary, this study lays the foundation for a radically new approach to studying the dynamics of biological and pathological processes.
Objective
What are the main differences between a photograph and a video? Photographs record a single point in time and videos continuously record a sequence of events. While the content and interpretation of a photograph is heavily reliant on a single moment in time, a video is not. The tools that scientists have to understand the molecular and cellular world around them are most like film cameras – producing single snapshots to describe dynamic processes. Towards the goal of continuously recording molecular events within cells, my laboratory recently developed ‘transcriptional recording’, an approach that employs CRISPR spacer acquisition from RNA to capture and convert intracellular RNAs into DNA, permanently storing transcriptional information in the DNA of living cells. The newly acquired sequences serve as transcriptional records, which are retrievable via deep sequencing and can be leverage to reconstruct cellular histories. This technology provides an entirely new mode of interrogating dynamic biological and physiological processes and opens up numerous avenues for future work.
The overall goal of this proposal is to develop transcriptional recording sentinel cells with the capacity to continuously monitor biological and pathological processes within the mammalian gut. To achieve this goal, we will employ a variety of methods that include molecular and cellular biology, synthetic biology, protein engineering, bioinformatics, and mouse models. We will focus our efforts on improving the efficiency of transcriptional recording, combining transcriptional recording with biosensing gene circuits, and demonstrating that transcriptional recording sentinel cells facilitate interrogation of the mammalian gut environment and can be applied as a living diagnostic. In summary, this study lays the foundation for developing a fundamentally new approach to interrogating dynamic biological and pathological processes as well as engineering living diagnostics.
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.
- engineering and technology electrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineering electronic engineering sensors optical sensors
- humanities history and archaeology history
- natural sciences biological sciences genetics DNA
- natural sciences biological sciences biochemistry biomolecules proteins
- natural sciences biological sciences genetics RNA
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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)
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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-STG - Starting 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-2019-STG
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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.
8092 Zuerich
Switzerland
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.