Skip to main content
Go to the home page of the European Commission (opens in new window)
English English
CORDIS - EU research results
CORDIS

Single Cell EPigenomic, Transcriptomic, and structural Rearrangement profiling to investigate Evolution in prostate cancer

Project description

Prostate cancer evolution

Prostate cancer (PrCa) is characterised by extensive molecular and clinical heterogeneity. The scope of the EU-funded SCEPTRE project is to understand the role of epigenetics in tumour heterogeneity and clonal evolution. For this purpose, scientists will utilise cutting-edge sequencing technologies to identify epigenetic, transcriptomic and genomic variations in cancer cells. Epigenetic drivers and DNA methylation have the power to serve as disease biomarkers and offer insight into the evolution of different cancer clones. Considering that PrCa is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in men in Europe, the project's results hold great clinical and therapeutic significance.

Objective

Prostate cancer (PrCa) is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in men in the European Union (EU), and is a molecularly and clinically heterogeneous disease. Although the genomic and transcriptomic landscapes of PrCa have been characterized deeply, the genome-wide epigenetic landscape and its contribution to tumor heterogeneity has received less attention. The lack of single-cell methylation (with parallel single-cell transcriptomic) datasets in solid tumors (and none in PrCA) has stunted inference on clonal evolution. Consequently, the understanding of the coordinated relationship between methylation and transcriptome remains tenuous at best. Structural variants have also not been able to be accurately resolved in cancer due to the reliance on short-read sequencing, and their interplay with DNA methylation is still poorly understood. I present the project, SCEPTRE which is tightly connected to and builds upon ample expertise in the laboratories of Prof. Christoph Plass, Division Chair of Cancer Epigenomics, DKFZ, and Dr. Oliver Stegle, Division Chair of Computational Genomics, DKFZ. Within this project, I will drive the generation of novel ‘single-cell’ and ‘single-molecule long-read’ PrCa datasets, and exploit existing data resources to comprehensively assess the epigenetic and joint transcriptomic and genomic dimensions of human PrCa with the aim to examine cancer evolution. To realize this aim, I will also derive a comprehensive computational toolbox for the analysis of single-cell (and single-molecule) DNA methylation and joint multi-omic profiles. This project will deliver novel innovative ways to identify epigenetic drivers; as well as link DNA methylation for lineage tracing as a biomarker for disease progression. Moreover, the project will uncover putative relationships between the DNA methylome and transcriptome as well as between structural genetic aberrations and epigenetic changes.

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.

You need to log in or register to use this function

Keywords

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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

See all projects funded under this call

Coordinator

DEUTSCHES KREBSFORSCHUNGSZENTRUM HEIDELBERG
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.

€ 174 806,40
Address
IM NEUENHEIMER FELD 280
69120 Heidelberg
Germany

See on map

Region
Baden-Württemberg Karlsruhe Heidelberg, Stadtkreis
Activity type
Research Organisations
Links
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.

€ 174 806,40
My booklet 0 0