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Proteomic Analysis of Cell communication in Tumors

Project description

Profiling cancer cell proteins to better understand cell communication in tumours

Cancer is a large and complex group of diseases characterised by abnormal and uncontrolled growth of some cells in the body. The cancerous cells can invade adjoining tissues or travel to other parts of the body and metastasis is a major cause of death from cancer. Understanding tumour dynamics is critical for the development of novel therapeutic approaches. The EU-funded ProACCT project will use high-tech methods to assay thousands of proteins from single cells and groups of cells from in vivo samples as well as map primary tumours and metastases at high spatial resolution. Outcomes will aid in targeting treatment-resistant metastatic cell populations in the context of personalised medicine.

Objective

Cancer is an enormous biomedical challenge, in part due to the complexity of cancer cell dynamics. The combination of intrinsic genetic alterations and cues from the tumour microenvironment impact the cancer phenotype and create heterogeneous tumours that evolve in space and time. Cancer cells develop distinct phenotypes in diverse tumour regions and different metastatic locations. In addition, cancer progression, metastatic dissemination, and development of therapeutic resistance affect cellular interactions over time. Therefore, understanding tumour dynamics is critical for the development of novel therapeutic approaches.
Although tumour heterogeneity has been thoroughly investigated at the genomic and transcriptomic levels, limited studies have investigated heterogeneity at the proteomic level. Changes in protein expression are central determinants of cancer phenotypes; developing a detailed understanding of proteome dynamics would be an enormous scientific advancement in the cancer field. However, technological challenges, and specifically, the challenge of analysing single cells and small groups of cells, have delayed progress along these lines. Here, I propose to combine my cutting-edge clinical proteomic expertise and extensive experience in cancer biology to study the spatial and temporal heterogeneity of cancer at the proteomic level.
We will push the boundaries of the technology towards assaying thousands of proteins from single cells and small groups of cells from in-vivo samples. We will combine microfluidic probe technology to map primary tumors and metastases at high spatial resolution, and study mouse models of melanoma and breast cancer to follow temporal changes in metastatic growth and treatment response. This breakthrough in proteomic analysis of cancer dynamics will provide the basis for targeting treatment-resistant metastatic cell populations towards advanced personalized treatment.

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Topic(s)

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Funding Scheme

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HORIZON-ERC - HORIZON ERC Grants

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Call for proposal

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(opens in new window) ERC-2021-COG

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Host institution

WEIZMANN INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE
Net EU contribution

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.

€ 2 000 000,00
Address
HERZL STREET 234
7610001 Rehovot
Israel

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Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
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Total cost

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.

€ 2 000 000,00

Beneficiaries (1)

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