Objective
Paediatric cancer is the leading cause of death in children post infancy in the Western world. The integration of high-throughput molecular profiling is now urgently needed to guide clinical decision-making and treatment stratification. However, access to adequate tumour material for genomic profiling remains highly challenging, particularly in children with refractory cancers, due to sampling difficulties and small sample volumes. The analysis of cell-free DNA (cfDNA) from liquid biopsies for the detection of circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA) could offer a powerful, minimally invasive alternative to tumour profiling, thus circumventing sampling limitations. However, current ctDNA approaches have limited specificity and sensitivity, and their clinical implementation is hindered by poor scalability and high costs associated with conventional sequencing technologies. In contrast, emerging nanopore sequencing platforms have faster turnaround times, are more affordable and significantly smaller than conventional sequencers, making them easy to deploy and implement in healthcare settings. However, their utility for cfDNA analyses remains largely unexplored. Here, using available data and liquid biopsy samples from ~500 children with cancer, I will develop computational tools for the detailed analysis of cfDNA nanopore sequencing data. By harnessing nanopores ability to sequence native DNA, thus allowing the detection of mutational DNA alterations and epigenetic modifications from the same assay, I will: (a) establish highly sensitive and specific approaches for the detection and molecular profiling of ctDNA, (b) develop methylation-based disease classifiers for accurate diagnosis and treatment stratification, and (c) evaluate the clinical utility of cfDNA nanopore sequencing to monitor treatment response and detect cancer relapse. The clinical implementation of these approaches could therefore significantly improve disease management and outcomes for children with cancer.
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 DNA
- medical and health sciences clinical medicine oncology
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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.
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HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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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.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
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Call for proposal
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Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2022-PF-01
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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.
69117 Heidelberg
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.