Project description
A molecular atlas of breast cancer
Harnessing the patient's own immune system to fight cancer is emerging as a promising therapeutic strategy. However, the limited efficacy of immunotherapies to treat breast cancer has spurred great interest. To investigate this, the EU-funded SCISSORS project proposes to employ single-cell genomics to study how the immune system responds to the evolving tumour as it emerges from the healthy tissue. Scientists will develop a computational model that integrates multiple aspects of breast cancer, including normal to malignant transition, interplay of breast and immune cells and tumour clonal dynamics. Apart from offering fundamental insight into cancer biology, the project's findings may reveal new progression markers and improve risk stratification.
Objective
Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer in Europe, responsible for the highest women cancer mortalities each year. Characterisation of breast tumours teased them apart to distinct subtypes and facilitated targeted treatments that improved survival rates significantly, yet some aggressive subtypes remain difficult to treat. New therapies that harness the patient own immune system to fight the tumour show remarkable success in several cancers but limited one in breast cancer. Single cell genomics is the cutting-edge method to profile tissues at the highest resolution. As a computational biologist experienced in this technique, I will use it to analyse breast tumours with their residing immune cells. I aim to dissect the dynamic processes that shape the clonal development of the tumour as it emerges from a healthy tissue, with an emphasis on the immune system response to the evolving tumour. Single cell genomics, being the main driving tool, will be leveraged by integration with vast data from thousands of deeply profiled tumour samples available in the Host lab. The project includes generation of a healthy breast single cell expression atlas; a computational method to infer somatic mutations clones from single cell genomics data; single cell profiling of breast tumours together with adjacent normal tissues; and lastly, integration of the results with data from the large tumours biobank that holds years of clinical history which may reveal new progression markers and improve risk stratification. This plan is unique by accounting for multiple aspects of the tumours, including normal to malignant transition, interplay of breast and immune cells, and tumour clonal dynamics. By tackling common cancer immune mechanisms, it may provide novel insights of relevance to all cancer types. Pursuing this grand project in a leading lab that covers all aspects of breast cancer research will increase my research versatility on my way to become an independent researcher.
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.
- social sciences sociology demography mortality
- medical and health sciences basic medicine immunology
- medical and health sciences clinical medicine oncology breast cancer
- natural sciences computer and information sciences computational science
- natural sciences biological sciences genetics mutation
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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.
CB2 1TN CAMBRIDGE
United Kingdom
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.