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MUCOBIOME-MEDIATED IMMUNE PATHWAYS IN INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASES

Project description

Intestinal mucus degradation in inflammatory bowel disease

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a rising global health concern that presents with persistent ulcerations in the gastrointestinal tract. Although a low-fibre diet and the gut microbiota seem to contribute to the disease, the precise mechanisms are poorly understood. The EU-funded MUCO-IMMUN project focusses on the bacteria known as the mucobiomes, which use enzymes to digest the host intestinal mucus layer, acting as the first line of defence against pathogens. Since dietary fibre regulates the mucolytic activities of these bacteria, scientists are working under the hypothesis that mucobiomes play a role in IBD pathogenesis. Identification of the immune pathways that are deregulated in IBD will aid the design of innovative diet-based therapies.

Objective

Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBD) are chronic disorders characterized by persistent ulcerations in the gastrointestinal tract, drastically affecting the patient’s quality of life. Initially regarded as “Western diseases”, they have now become a global problem. Despite IBD being a set of inflammatory diseases, the underlying host immune pathways remain unclear, making it difficult to reliably treat and cure patients. The low-fiber Western diet, and the microbial communities that live in our intestines (the gut “microbiome”), have been proposed as major environmental contributors of the disease - but the mechanisms of their contribution are poorly understood.
Among the gut microbiome, the mucobiomes are defined as the microbial communities enzymatically geared to digest the host intestinal mucus layer – our first line of defense against invading pathogens. Their mucolytic activities are regulated by dietary fibers. Thus, we hypothesize that, under a low-fiber diet, the mucobiomes catalyze important disease-promoting immune pathways of IBD. Using an original animal model combining genetic susceptibility, dietary fiber deficiency and different microbiota compositions, we aim at highlighting (1) the role of the mucobiome in IBD pathogenesis, and (2) key immune-pathways regulated by the mucobiome. These objectives are ambitious, yet highly feasible given the expertise of the actors. The proposed work provides a unique dimension to understand the underlying pathogenic mechanisms of a key physiological trait of gut bacteria: host-secreted mucus degradation. The success of this project relies on a close interdisciplinary collaboration that will benefit to develop the researcher's career, the hosting group’s projects, the hosting institute's visibility, and establish innovative diet-based therapies for IBD patients.

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MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)

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Call for proposal

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(opens in new window) H2020-MSCA-IF-2019

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Coordinator

LUXEMBOURG INSTITUTE OF HEALTH
Net EU contribution

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.

€ 166 320,00
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1A RUE RUE THOMAS EDISON
1445 Strassen
Luxembourg

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Luxembourg Luxembourg Luxembourg
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Total cost

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.

€ 166 320,00
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