Objective
Concentration gradients of biomolecules are essential in important biological events such as morphogenesis, inflammation, wound healing and cancer. As a consequence, devising methods to generate highly controlled biomolecular gradients for studying cellular behaviour is a major scientific endeavor. However, state-of-the-art approaches based on microfluidics suppress cellular signalling by washing molecules away, limiting their biological significance. To solve this issue, this proposal will develop an original method to create biomolecular gradients that influence cellular behaviour without interfering with cellular communication. This method relies on recent DNA nanotechnology developments in the host group that create complex ssDNA concentration gradients autonomously, through a reaction-diffusion mechanism. The goal of this proposal is to demonstrate that such self-organized concentration patterns of DNA strands can modify the gene expression of human cells in vitro. Antisense technology will be used to couple extracellular DNA gradients with changes in cellular behaviour. As a proof of principle, a two-band concentration pattern of DNA will be created, which will induce in vitro a similar pattern of fluorescent protein expression on a HeLa cell monolayer. As an application, biomolecular gradients will be used to control wound healing assays, allowing the patterning of cell culture. These results would open doors to control and study cellular behaviour while maintaining crucial cellular communication mechanisms. In the long run, this technique, that combines the self-organization of synthetic molecules and living cells, could be advantageously used in tissue engineering.
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 physical sciences classical mechanics fluid mechanics microfluidics
- natural sciences biological sciences genetics DNA
- natural sciences biological sciences biochemistry biomolecules proteins
- engineering and technology nanotechnology
- medical and health sciences medical biotechnology tissue engineering
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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.
75006 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.