Project description
From colour to sound, novel probes focus on protein targets of interest
Proteins are ubiquitous, and the ability to visually trace their pathways, modifications, abundance and activities is critical to our understanding of living organisms. Photoacoustic imaging (PAI) is a non-invasive and non-ionising imaging modality of high resolution and high sensitivity, even at large imaging depths. It is based on the detection of light-induced ultrasound waves from the excitation of chromophores, molecules that absorb certain wavelengths of visible light and thus confer colour. The EU-funded SmartSAST project is enhancing the performance and utility of promising PAI technology with very high-specificity probes that simultaneously produce very high contrast and enable the study of multicomponent living systems. Novel photoacoustic probes will both tag proteins of interest and non-covalently bind photoresponsive organic chromophores, resulting in very high resolution imaging of specific protein targets.
Objective
Visualizing the complexity of living matter non-invasively and with high-resolution represents an indispensable element for progress in science. Unresolved issues as the individuation of early-stage cancers, or the spatial organization of the roots microbiomes, can benefit from advancements in photoacoustic imaging (PAI). This appealing technology combines the benefits of light as input and ultrasounds as output, offering a compelling combination of good resolution, high penetration depth, and non-invasiveness.
However, PAI is not suitable to study multicomponent living systems because current strategies operate with simple probe-detector setups. With SmartSAST (Smart Sound-activated Absorption Shifting Tags), I propose to enable modularity and multiplexing through the development of photoacoustic probes based on protein tags that non-covalently bind with photoresponsive organic chromophores named sonogens. The supramolecular nature of SmartSAST ensures great modularity as the sonogens can be easily refreshed or substituted. The change in optical properties of the probes upon assembly guarantees great contrast against the background. Finally, via rationally designing photo-isomerizable sonogens that bind the protein just in a specific isomeric form, SmartSAST imparts an unprecedented level of control in PAI. Upon photo-modulating the supramolecular dynamics of these probes and extracting their kinetic signatures, dynamic contrast and multiplexing will be achieved with high spatial resolution.
SmartSAST project aims to develop a fully operative technology based on new fundamentals bases. The project includes the synthesis of sonogens, the engineering of protein tags, the thermokinetic and photochemical characterization of the probes and their application in PAI. This new approach to PAI will unlock the non-invasive study of deeply embedded complex biological targets in real-time. Dissemination and communication activities will secure the great impact of SmartSAST.
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 biological sciences biochemistry biomolecules proteins
- medical and health sciences clinical medicine oncology
- natural sciences biological sciences microbiology
- natural sciences physical sciences acoustics ultrasound
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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.1.3. - 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 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)
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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-2019
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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.
75230 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.