Project description
The role of the Hhat protein-coding gene in cancer treatment
Hedgehog signalling molecules are involved in many biological events including cell differentiation, proliferation and survival, as well as ageing and the establishment of the body plan. An abnormal expression or mutations of Hedgehog pathway genes cause a variety of genetic disorders at different stages, including cancer. Inhibition of the Hedgehog pathway showed some success in the clinic, but resistance development is a common problem, creating demand for an alternative Hedgehog modulator. Hhat is a membrane-associated O-acyl transferase that carries out Hedgehog posttranslational palmitoylation, critical for its signalling. The EU-funded HHAT project proposes to develop selective high potency Hhat inhibitors and investigate their cellular activity to validate Hhat as a target in cancer therapy.
Objective
Being the first or second most common cause of premature death in over 100 countries, cancer imposes a major burden on modern societies worldwide. Inhibition of the Hedgehog pathway has had success, both in vitro and in the clinic, but resistance is a commonly encountered problem, making alternative Hedgehog modulators in high demand. Hhat is a membrane associated O-acyl transferase (MBOAT) whose only known function is the palmitoylation of Hedgehog, a posttranslational modification crucial for Hedgehog signalling. Targeting Hhat thus represents a uniquely specific way to target the hedgehog pathway that could be less prone to gaining resistance, but research in this area is hampered by a lack of good tool compounds. Here I propose to use cutting edge chemical biology tools to develop selective high potency Hhat inhibitors with thoroughly validated cellular activity. Such inhibitors are crucially needed to validate Hhat as a target in cancer therapy and the methodologies developed could be transferred to target other clinically relevant MBOATs in for example the Wnt pathway.
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.
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-2020
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.
SW7 2AZ London
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.