Objective
"European populations are ageing, and this has important health, economic and social consequences. Yet in order to manage these, we need to understand the complex phenomenon of ""biological age"", and in particular its genetic determinants. It is now established that longevity insurance genes such as TP53 mitigate the roles of mitochondrial function, oxidative stress and telomere shortening, and that these genes are also involved in ageing, with senescence and cancer being two faces of the cell growth balance. Thus, longevity is a trade-off between cancer and ageing, but also possibly fertility and menopause. In that respect, Asian elephants are a fascinating model: similar to humans in lifespan, senescence, and selection for grandmotherhood, they are almost exempt of cancer, contrary to predictions based on their large size. Recently, multiple retrocopies of TP53 have been identified in elephants: a strong argument to consider that cancer-avoidance and a long lifespan are the product of genetic adaptations in proboscideans. The genetic architecture of human-like ageing is impossible to study in classical short-lived models, as they lack the traits that make human life-history special, like a post-reproductive lifespan. Therefore, I propose to use a unique century-long dataset on life-history and health records for thousands of Asian elephants, currently explored by Prof. Lummaa's international-level team through behavioural ecology and ecophysiology at University of Turku. Together with my secondment host Prof. Bertorelle at University of Ferrare, I will apply my skills in cutting-edge genomic methods to disentangle the hereditary and individual determinants of ageing in long-lived mammals. By bringing these different competences together on a one-of-its-kind dataset, I will exploit this unique and exciting opportunity to explore the genomics of senescence through a multi-disciplinary approach, which may yield important insights for understanding human ageing."
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 genetics
- social sciences sociology demography fertility
- medical and health sciences clinical medicine oncology
- natural sciences biological sciences biological behavioural sciences behavioural ecology
- natural sciences biological sciences zoology mammalogy
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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-EF-ST - Standard EF
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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-2017
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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.
20014 Turku
Finland
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.