Project description
Targeting lung T cells for asthma therapy
Type-2 helper T cells (Th2) are immune cells that drive allergic inflammation and asthma by producing cytokines. Α persistent Th2 cell subset known as tissue-resident memory Th2 (T2RM) cells remains in the lungs long after allergen exposure and is believed to drive the chronicity and relapse of asthma symptoms. Despite their importance, the biological mechanisms that support T2RM survival and reactivation remain unclear. With the support of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the 4GETasthma project aims to identify molecular pathways that could be targeted to eliminate T2RM cells. Researchers will use cutting-edge techniques to identify druggable pathways in T2RM biology and lay the foundation for targeted therapies that eliminate these pathogenic cells.
Objective
Asthma is the most common chronic lung disease. In most asthmatics, allergen-specific type-2 CD4 T cells orchestrate allergic airway inflammation by producing type-2 cytokines that ultimately drive asthma pathology. Studies suggest that a subset of long-lived memory Th2 cells that reside in the lung, known as tissue-resident memory Th2 cells (T2RM), play a significant role in driving asthma chronicity and persistence. Therapies aimed at depleting T2RM from the lung represent a novel approach to treating asthma, however factors that regulate the generation and persistence of lung-T2RMs remain poorly understood. I hypothesize that distinct and druggable molecular pathways control lung-T2RM survival and re-activation. This work aims to decipher molecular and cellular mechanisms that regulate the maintenance and re-activation of T2RM within the asthmatic lung niche. The host lab has recently developed a novel TCR transgenic (Tg) mouse line (1DER-CD5), containing a monoclonal population of house dust mite (HDM) specific CD4 T cells with high T2RM differentiation potential, which has been confirmed in preliminary experiments performed since joining the host lab. In WP1, I will perform single cell transcriptomic and proteomic analysis on 1DER-CD5 T cells in the lungs of mice in the memory phases of HDM-induced asthma to predict molecular and cellular networks that regulate lung-T2RM. In WP2, I will utilize targeted spatial transcriptomics, paired with confocal microscopy, to define the lung-T2RM niche and validate molecular and cellular interactions predicted in WP1. In WP3, I will use an in vivo CRISPR-screening approach with Cas9+ 1DER-CD5 T cells to pinpoint key druggable pathways that regulate lung-T2RM survival and re-activation. This work is expected to identify molecular pathways critical in regulating the persistence and re-activation of lung-T2RM, potentially leading to the development of novel therapies to deplete pathogenic T2RM from the airways of asthmatics.
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 pneumology asthma
- natural sciences physical sciences optics microscopy
- medical and health sciences basic medicine pathology
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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)
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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)
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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.
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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-2024-PF-01
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9052 ZWIJNAARDE - GENT
Belgium
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