Project description
Gut-specific foundation model to understand intestinal development and pathogenesis
The growing volume of multimodal biological data is creating new opportunities for computational models to advance our understanding of complex developmental and disease processes. Foundation models have emerged as powerful tools for learning transferable biological representations across diverse biological systems. Supported by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the DELIGHT-FM project will develop the first gut-specific, developmentally aware foundation model by integrating transcriptomic, epigenomic and spatial information to uncover the molecular programmes driving intestinal maturation and disease. By applying this framework to healthy development and preterm infant tissues, DELIGHT-FM aims to reveal the mechanisms underlying immune tolerance, identify developmental vulnerabilities, accelerate biomarker and therapeutic discovery for neonatal intestinal disease, and establish a reusable resource for the wider scientific community.
Objective
With this fellowship, I will leverage recent advances in foundation modelling and unique multimodal single-cell and spatial datasets to develop DELIGHT-FM, the first gut-specific, multimodal, and developmentally aware foundation model. Unlike existing generalist approaches, DELIGHT-FM will explicitly capture intestinal tissue architecture, evolving niches, and immune colonization across developmental stages, transforming descriptive atlases into predictive, mechanistic insights. The project has three objectives: (i) build and validate a biology-first gut foundation model integrating transcriptomic, epigenomic, and spatial modalities; (ii) use model-derived features to define how mucosal tolerance is imprinted during healthy development; and (iii) apply in silico perturbations to identify disrupted trajectories in preterm infants and predict the minimal molecular or spatial changes needed to restore immune balance. This pioneering approach will provide the first holistic framework of human intestinal immune maturation, establish new strategies for biomarker and therapeutic discovery in neonatal disease, and deliver an open, reusable foundation model resource for the community. Through this fellowship, I will gain access to cutting-edge foundation model expertise in the Mahmood group, alongside comprehensive single-cell datasets and workflows in the Simmons and Antanaviciute groups, advancing both gut biology and digital medicine with broad implications for neonatal health, precision medicine, and the next generation of AI-driven biology.
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.
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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)
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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.
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-GF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - Global 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-2025-PF
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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.