Objective
Many survivors of childhood chronic disease struggle with early atherosclerosis later in life. As a physician-scientist I am inspired by their lifelong fight, and my research focuses on the etiology and treatment of early atherosclerosis. Here, I aim to unravel the role of invariant Natural Killer T-cells (iNKTs) in atherogenesis. iNKTs are unique for their restriction to lipid antigens presented on CD1d molecules, which underlies their pivotal role in lipid-driven disorders such as atherosclerosis. The exact role of iNKTs however remains elusive, as long as the involved plaque-associated lipid antigens have not been identified. Therefore, I developed CD1d-sortagging as a novel and innovative approach for lipid antigen identification. CD1d-sortagging employs bacterial sortase enzymes for site-specific cleavage and biotin labeling of CD1d-lipid antigen complexes, followed by isolation and mass spectrometry identification of the lipid antigens. At the Cardiovascular Immunology laboratory of Prof. Monaco at the Kennedy Institute of Oxford University, in a unique collaboration with renowned iNKT-glycolipid expert Prof. Cerundolo, I first aim to identify plaque-associated lipid antigens. CD1d-sortagging will be applied ex vivo in a human atheroma model, and in vivo in a CD1d1-sortagging mouse model for atherosclerosis. Upon identification, I secondly aim to unravel the impact of plaque-associated lipid antigens on iNKT cell phenotype and function using Mass Cytometry of plaque-resident immune cells and study the structural and functional aspects of plaque lipid-iNKT cell interaction. Finally, I will explore the therapeutic potential of plaque-associated lipid antigens to manipulate iNKT cell function and atherogenesis in a mouse model for atherosclerosis. Taken together, this proposal combines an innovative approach and excellent research setting with translational impact, an effective work plan, and maturation of a passionate physician-scientist.
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.
- medical and health sciences clinical medicine cardiology cardiovascular diseases arteriosclerosis
- medical and health sciences basic medicine immunology
- natural sciences biological sciences biochemistry biomolecules lipids
- natural sciences chemical sciences analytical chemistry mass spectrometry
- natural sciences biological sciences biochemistry biomolecules proteins enzymes
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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.
OX1 2JD Oxford
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.