Project description
Brain organoids for studying stress responses and mental illness
When an individual encounters a stressful situation, the stress hormone system is activated to initiate a cascade of hormonal and physiological responses that involve cortisol among others. Chronic or prolonged exposure to stress can deregulate the stress hormone system and may lead to mental illness. Funded by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the PrenatalStressOmics project is interested in studying the molecular mechanisms involved in stress-related mental illnesses. Researchers propose to develop 3D cerebral organoids that mimic the human brain as models of mental illness in the prenatal period. They will analyse transcriptomic and epigenetic changes in response to stress, aiming to delineate the molecular basis of human vulnerability and stress response.
Objective
Mental illnesses affect 25% of the EU population and share increased disease risk through long-term changes to the stress hormone system. These are precipitated as adversities during early life, including the prenatal period. Given the role of stress in causing mental illnesses, it is imperative to learn more about the molecular mechanisms involved. Some progress has been made in elucidating the neurobiology of stress, but many questions cannot be addressed with current tools, which include animal models and 2-dimensional human cell culture systems. This proposal aims to establish 3-dimensional culture systems called cerebral organoids – stem-cell-derived tissues that recapitulate features of the human brain – as research models for developmental psychiatric disturbances. We will focus on glucocorticoids (GCs), some of the primary mediators of stress exposure on the organism, and use organoids as a model of early developing brain. Molecular mechanisms will be compared between ‘stressed’ and ‘unstressed’ conditions, by sequencing the transcriptomes of individual cells. Furthermore, since stress-related disorders are mediated through epigenetic mechanisms, the impact of elevated GC exposure on specific cell types in the cerebral organoid model will be quantified at the epigenome level. These novel and powerful techniques will allow us to deconstruct tissue heterogeneity, elucidating the fine molecular underpinnings of human vulnerability and response to stress. Comparing findings to evidence from longitudinal human cohorts of mothers and their babies who underwent stress during pregnancy will allow placement of findings into the clinical context. This research would pave the way for translation into clinical research, and expedite transitions from basic research to identification of at-risk populations, and even intervention strategies.
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 RNA transcriptomes
- natural sciences biological sciences genetics epigenetics epigenomes
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)
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.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
-
H2020-EU.1.3. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
MAIN PROGRAMME
See all projects funded under this programme -
H2020-EU.1.3.2. - Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility
See all projects funded under this programme
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 - 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.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) H2020-MSCA-IF-2017
See all projects funded under this callCoordinator
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.
80539 MUNCHEN
Germany
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.