Project acronym BORDERLANDS
Project Borderlands: Expanding Boundaries, Governance, and Power in the European Union's Relations with North Africa and the Middle East
Researcher (PI) Raffaella Alessandra Del Sarto
Host Institution (HI) EUROPEAN UNIVERSITY INSTITUTE
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), SH2, ERC-2010-StG_20091209
Summary Challenging the notion of Fortress Europe , the research investigates relations between the European Union and its southern periphery through the concept of borderlands . The concept emphasises the disaggregation of the triple function of borders demarcating state territory, authority, and national identity inherent in the Westphalian model of statehood. This process is most visible in (although not limited to) Europe, where integration has led to supranational areas of sovereignty, an internal market, a common currency, and a zone of free movement of people, each with a different territorial span. The project explores the complex and differentiated process by which the EU extends its unbundled functional and legal borders to the so-called southern Mediterranean (North Africa and parts of the Middle East), thereby transforming it into borderlands . They connect the European core with the periphery through various legal and functional border regimes, governance patterns, and the selective outsourcing of some EU border control duties. The overarching questions informing this research is whether, first, the borderland policies of the EU, described by some as a neo-medieval empire, is a functional consequence of the specific integration model pursued inside the EU, a matter of foreign policy choice or a local manifestation of a broader global phenomenon. Second, the project addresses the question of power dynamics that underwrite borderland governance, presuming a growing leverage of third country governments resulting from their co-optation as gatekeepers. Thus, while adopting an innovative approach, the project will enhance our understanding of EU-Mediterranean relations while also addressing crucial theoretical questions in international relations.
Summary
Challenging the notion of Fortress Europe , the research investigates relations between the European Union and its southern periphery through the concept of borderlands . The concept emphasises the disaggregation of the triple function of borders demarcating state territory, authority, and national identity inherent in the Westphalian model of statehood. This process is most visible in (although not limited to) Europe, where integration has led to supranational areas of sovereignty, an internal market, a common currency, and a zone of free movement of people, each with a different territorial span. The project explores the complex and differentiated process by which the EU extends its unbundled functional and legal borders to the so-called southern Mediterranean (North Africa and parts of the Middle East), thereby transforming it into borderlands . They connect the European core with the periphery through various legal and functional border regimes, governance patterns, and the selective outsourcing of some EU border control duties. The overarching questions informing this research is whether, first, the borderland policies of the EU, described by some as a neo-medieval empire, is a functional consequence of the specific integration model pursued inside the EU, a matter of foreign policy choice or a local manifestation of a broader global phenomenon. Second, the project addresses the question of power dynamics that underwrite borderland governance, presuming a growing leverage of third country governments resulting from their co-optation as gatekeepers. Thus, while adopting an innovative approach, the project will enhance our understanding of EU-Mediterranean relations while also addressing crucial theoretical questions in international relations.
Max ERC Funding
1 353 920 €
Duration
Start date: 2011-10-01, End date: 2017-03-31
Project acronym COD
Project The economic, social and political consequences of democratic reforms. A quantitative and qualitative comparative analysis
Researcher (PI) Giovanni Marco Carbone
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI MILANO
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), SH2, ERC-2010-StG_20091209
Summary The latter part of the twentieth century was a period of rapid democratisation on a global scale. The attention of comparative politics scholars followed the progression of so-called Third Wave democracies, and gradually progressed from the study of the causes of and the transitions to democracy to the problems of democratic consolidation, and then to more recent issues relating to the quality of democracy. A further, frontier step may now be added to such research path by focusing on a subject that has remained largely under-researched, if at all, namely the political, social and economic consequences that emerged in countries where real democratic change took place. The question of what democracy has been able to deliver will become ever more relevant to the future prospects of recent democratisation processes and of democracy at large.
In the study of the consequences of democratisation, the advent of democracy is thus no longer observed as an endpoint, or a dependent variable to be explained, but as a starting point, or an independent variable that allegedly contributes to the explanation of a wide range of political, economic and social effects. The question of the corollaries of democratisation also has crucial policy implications.
The goals of the proposed research are:
a) the definition of a theoretical framework that articulates, integrates and interrelates the different existing hypotheses and arguments on the consequences of democratization processes
b) the empirical investigation, through a combination and integration of quantitative and qualitative methods, of the validity of three specific such hypotheses, namely:
i. democratisation favours the consolidation of the state (as a political effect)
ii. democratisation favours economic liberalization (as an economic effect)
iii. democratisation improves social welfare (as a social effect)
c) the analysis of the specific forms that the effects of democratization assume in different world regions
Summary
The latter part of the twentieth century was a period of rapid democratisation on a global scale. The attention of comparative politics scholars followed the progression of so-called Third Wave democracies, and gradually progressed from the study of the causes of and the transitions to democracy to the problems of democratic consolidation, and then to more recent issues relating to the quality of democracy. A further, frontier step may now be added to such research path by focusing on a subject that has remained largely under-researched, if at all, namely the political, social and economic consequences that emerged in countries where real democratic change took place. The question of what democracy has been able to deliver will become ever more relevant to the future prospects of recent democratisation processes and of democracy at large.
In the study of the consequences of democratisation, the advent of democracy is thus no longer observed as an endpoint, or a dependent variable to be explained, but as a starting point, or an independent variable that allegedly contributes to the explanation of a wide range of political, economic and social effects. The question of the corollaries of democratisation also has crucial policy implications.
The goals of the proposed research are:
a) the definition of a theoretical framework that articulates, integrates and interrelates the different existing hypotheses and arguments on the consequences of democratization processes
b) the empirical investigation, through a combination and integration of quantitative and qualitative methods, of the validity of three specific such hypotheses, namely:
i. democratisation favours the consolidation of the state (as a political effect)
ii. democratisation favours economic liberalization (as an economic effect)
iii. democratisation improves social welfare (as a social effect)
c) the analysis of the specific forms that the effects of democratization assume in different world regions
Max ERC Funding
322 284 €
Duration
Start date: 2010-11-01, End date: 2015-10-31
Project acronym DASI
Project Digital Archive for the Study of pre-Islamic Arabian Inscriptions
Researcher (PI) Alessandra Avanzini
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSITA DI PISA
Call Details Advanced Grant (AdG), SH5, ERC-2010-AdG_20100407
Summary In the Arabian peninsula, before the advent of Islam some distinctive civilizations flourished with a remarkable cultural level and left behind an important epigraphic and artistic wealth in terms of quality and interest. The history of these cultures is known almost exclusively by epigraphic material. In fact, the majority of texts that the inhabitants of Arabia have left us are the inscriptions that are found in their tens of thousands all over the lands.
However, the inscriptions of pre-Islamic Arabia are only relatively known and often difficult to interpret, and scholars are obliged to draw on resources which are outdated or overly narrow in scope. On the basis of these considerations, DASI would like to apply the modern computer technology to the study of pre-Islamic inscriptions. The main objective of DASI is to improve and enrich the existing CSAI project (Corpus of South Arabian Inscriptions: http://csai.humnet.unipi.it) in terms of methodology and contents creating a digital archive of the whole corpus of pre-Islamic Arabian inscriptions. This archive is intended to become the virtual place where all the existing inscriptions from Arabia are gathered and can be managed, consulted and studied: the virtual ambient will collect the inscriptions that are physically located in different, faraway places such as archaeological sites in Arabia, as well as museums or private collections all over the world, but it will also document inscriptions by now physically lost and known only thorough previous publications.
By actually cataloguing and studying these texts, the aim of DASI is to achieve a better overall perception and knowledge of the epigraphic heritage of pre-Islamic Arabia - yet a very young field - and consequently of its languages and cultures.
Summary
In the Arabian peninsula, before the advent of Islam some distinctive civilizations flourished with a remarkable cultural level and left behind an important epigraphic and artistic wealth in terms of quality and interest. The history of these cultures is known almost exclusively by epigraphic material. In fact, the majority of texts that the inhabitants of Arabia have left us are the inscriptions that are found in their tens of thousands all over the lands.
However, the inscriptions of pre-Islamic Arabia are only relatively known and often difficult to interpret, and scholars are obliged to draw on resources which are outdated or overly narrow in scope. On the basis of these considerations, DASI would like to apply the modern computer technology to the study of pre-Islamic inscriptions. The main objective of DASI is to improve and enrich the existing CSAI project (Corpus of South Arabian Inscriptions: http://csai.humnet.unipi.it) in terms of methodology and contents creating a digital archive of the whole corpus of pre-Islamic Arabian inscriptions. This archive is intended to become the virtual place where all the existing inscriptions from Arabia are gathered and can be managed, consulted and studied: the virtual ambient will collect the inscriptions that are physically located in different, faraway places such as archaeological sites in Arabia, as well as museums or private collections all over the world, but it will also document inscriptions by now physically lost and known only thorough previous publications.
By actually cataloguing and studying these texts, the aim of DASI is to achieve a better overall perception and knowledge of the epigraphic heritage of pre-Islamic Arabia - yet a very young field - and consequently of its languages and cultures.
Max ERC Funding
2 129 200 €
Duration
Start date: 2011-05-01, End date: 2016-04-30
Project acronym EDULIFE
Project Education as a Lifelong Process – Comparing Educational Trajectories in Modern Societies
Researcher (PI) Hans-Peter Blossfeld
Host Institution (HI) EUROPEAN UNIVERSITY INSTITUTE
Call Details Advanced Grant (AdG), SH2, ERC-2010-AdG_20100407
Summary Over the last decades, modern societies have evolved into knowledge-based economies in which the role of education and the organisation of educational institutions have become important in all phases of the life course. More than in the past, today, education is a lifelong process where the individual acquires skills and competences in formal and non-formal learning settings throughout the entire life-span. Most empirical research on education is still based on cross-sectional studies and does not analyse education as a highly time-dependent, stepwise, and cumulative process. The aim of the project is therefore to study how individuals’ educational careers and competence trajectories unfold over the life course in relation to family background, educational institutions, workplaces, and private life events. The project takes an explicit life course perspective and utilises innovative data from the new German National Educational Panel Study (NEPS). The NEPS data will be compared with longitudinal data from five carefully selected additional countries. Based on its cross-national comparisons the project will do both, (a) establish the generality of findings and (b) study the specific impact of variations in educational institutional settings across countries.
In substantive terms, the project is structured along four themes: (1) the quality of pre-school education and its short- and longer-term effects on individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds; (2) consequences of different models of differentiation in secondary school and their consequences on competence development and educational opportunities; (3) different vocational training trajectories and their impact on entry into the labour market; and (4) the interaction of lifelong learning and job careers.
Summary
Over the last decades, modern societies have evolved into knowledge-based economies in which the role of education and the organisation of educational institutions have become important in all phases of the life course. More than in the past, today, education is a lifelong process where the individual acquires skills and competences in formal and non-formal learning settings throughout the entire life-span. Most empirical research on education is still based on cross-sectional studies and does not analyse education as a highly time-dependent, stepwise, and cumulative process. The aim of the project is therefore to study how individuals’ educational careers and competence trajectories unfold over the life course in relation to family background, educational institutions, workplaces, and private life events. The project takes an explicit life course perspective and utilises innovative data from the new German National Educational Panel Study (NEPS). The NEPS data will be compared with longitudinal data from five carefully selected additional countries. Based on its cross-national comparisons the project will do both, (a) establish the generality of findings and (b) study the specific impact of variations in educational institutional settings across countries.
In substantive terms, the project is structured along four themes: (1) the quality of pre-school education and its short- and longer-term effects on individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds; (2) consequences of different models of differentiation in secondary school and their consequences on competence development and educational opportunities; (3) different vocational training trajectories and their impact on entry into the labour market; and (4) the interaction of lifelong learning and job careers.
Max ERC Funding
2 488 360 €
Duration
Start date: 2011-06-01, End date: 2016-05-31
Project acronym ERPL
Project European Regulatory Private Law
Researcher (PI) Hans-Wolfgang Micklitz-Roessler
Host Institution (HI) EUROPEAN UNIVERSITY INSTITUTE
Call Details Advanced Grant (AdG), SH2, ERC-2010-AdG_20100407
Summary The focus of the socio-legal project lies in the search for a normative model which could shape a self sufficient European private legal order in its interaction with national private law systems. The project (1) aims at a new–orientation of the structures and methods of European private law based on its transformation from autonomy to functionalism in competition and regulation;
(2) suggests the emergence of a self sufficient European private law, composed of three different layers (a) the sectorial substance of ERPL, (b) the general principles – provisionally termed competitive contract law – and (d) common principles of civil law; (3) elaborates on the interaction between ERPL and national private law systems around four normative models: (a) intrusion and substitution, (b) conflict and resistance, (c) hybridisation and (d) convergence; (4) analyses the new order of values, enshrined in the concept of access justice (Zugangsgerechtigkeit).
Summary
The focus of the socio-legal project lies in the search for a normative model which could shape a self sufficient European private legal order in its interaction with national private law systems. The project (1) aims at a new–orientation of the structures and methods of European private law based on its transformation from autonomy to functionalism in competition and regulation;
(2) suggests the emergence of a self sufficient European private law, composed of three different layers (a) the sectorial substance of ERPL, (b) the general principles – provisionally termed competitive contract law – and (d) common principles of civil law; (3) elaborates on the interaction between ERPL and national private law systems around four normative models: (a) intrusion and substitution, (b) conflict and resistance, (c) hybridisation and (d) convergence; (4) analyses the new order of values, enshrined in the concept of access justice (Zugangsgerechtigkeit).
Max ERC Funding
2 097 840 €
Duration
Start date: 2011-09-01, End date: 2016-08-31
Project acronym FAMINE
Project Families of Inequalities- Social and economic consequences of the changing work-family equilibria in European Societies
Researcher (PI) Stefani Scherer
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI TRENTO
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), SH2, ERC-2010-StG_20091209
Summary This project investigates social change and its correlates in European societies. In specific, the change in social and economic inequalities associated with new welfare-work-family equilibria. The Project therefore focuses on the changes in women s labour market behaviour, the interlinkage between women s employment and family decisions, families’ capacities to compensate for increasing market risks and the consequences of these developments for social and economic inequalities between families in post industrial societies over recent decades, considering the role of the different welfare and labour market arrangements and the way they evolved. It focuses on the new welfare-work-family equilibria analysing the social and economic consequences of these (dis) equilibria for European societies and their capacity to fully integrate their populations, assuring decent employment conditions, adequate social rights and full social participation.
It does so in a strict international comparison, following an interdisciplinary approach between sociology, economics and demography and applying leading edge quantitative methods to adequately treat topics in life cycle perspective.
Summary
This project investigates social change and its correlates in European societies. In specific, the change in social and economic inequalities associated with new welfare-work-family equilibria. The Project therefore focuses on the changes in women s labour market behaviour, the interlinkage between women s employment and family decisions, families’ capacities to compensate for increasing market risks and the consequences of these developments for social and economic inequalities between families in post industrial societies over recent decades, considering the role of the different welfare and labour market arrangements and the way they evolved. It focuses on the new welfare-work-family equilibria analysing the social and economic consequences of these (dis) equilibria for European societies and their capacity to fully integrate their populations, assuring decent employment conditions, adequate social rights and full social participation.
It does so in a strict international comparison, following an interdisciplinary approach between sociology, economics and demography and applying leading edge quantitative methods to adequately treat topics in life cycle perspective.
Max ERC Funding
478 494 €
Duration
Start date: 2010-12-01, End date: 2014-11-30
Project acronym HISTANTARTSI
Project Historical memory, Antiquarian Culture and Artistic Patronage: Social Identities in the Centres of Southern Italy between the Medieval and Early Modern Period
Researcher (PI) Bianca De Divitiis
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI NAPOLI FEDERICO II
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), SH5, ERC-2010-StG_20091209
Summary From the 12th-century southern Italy was overrun by foreign rulers and their houses and saw fierce dynastic struggles for succession. In attempting to cope with these sudden changes and upheavels, the local urban communities continually found themselves faced by the need to legitimize and reconfirm their status through actual negotiations with the king, and eventually with the baron. In this context the procedures and methods used to construct specific
local identities take on particular importance, as do those used by individuals and families to affirm their social position. Through an interdisciplinary team the project seeks to identify the conscious and strategic use of archival and literary sources, and of local antiquities, in methods of self-representation adopted by the elite and by the local communities in the Regno di Napoli between the medieval and early modern period beginning with Campania and then extending to Puglia, Calabria, Lucania, Molise and Abruzzo. The aim of the project is to establish a balanced view of southern continental Italy and to create new instruments which will improve not only
international academic knowledge but can benefit civil society as a whole, as well as institutions in laying the foundations for a new conservation strategy to protect and manage the cultural patrimony of southern Italy, a region which has contributed significantly to the formation of a European identity. An accessible database on the Internet will be specifically designed and programmed to gather together all the data from this research pre-requisite for studying such themes, and will provide a new instrument and new prospects of research for scholars world-wide.
Summary
From the 12th-century southern Italy was overrun by foreign rulers and their houses and saw fierce dynastic struggles for succession. In attempting to cope with these sudden changes and upheavels, the local urban communities continually found themselves faced by the need to legitimize and reconfirm their status through actual negotiations with the king, and eventually with the baron. In this context the procedures and methods used to construct specific
local identities take on particular importance, as do those used by individuals and families to affirm their social position. Through an interdisciplinary team the project seeks to identify the conscious and strategic use of archival and literary sources, and of local antiquities, in methods of self-representation adopted by the elite and by the local communities in the Regno di Napoli between the medieval and early modern period beginning with Campania and then extending to Puglia, Calabria, Lucania, Molise and Abruzzo. The aim of the project is to establish a balanced view of southern continental Italy and to create new instruments which will improve not only
international academic knowledge but can benefit civil society as a whole, as well as institutions in laying the foundations for a new conservation strategy to protect and manage the cultural patrimony of southern Italy, a region which has contributed significantly to the formation of a European identity. An accessible database on the Internet will be specifically designed and programmed to gather together all the data from this research pre-requisite for studying such themes, and will provide a new instrument and new prospects of research for scholars world-wide.
Max ERC Funding
1 500 000 €
Duration
Start date: 2011-01-01, End date: 2016-05-31
Project acronym MOBILIZING4DEMOCRACY
Project Mobilizing for democracy: Democratization processes and the mobilization of civil society
Researcher (PI) Donatella Alessandra Della Porta
Host Institution (HI) SCUOLA NORMALE SUPERIORE
Call Details Advanced Grant (AdG), SH2, ERC-2010-AdG_20100407
Summary The project addresses the role of civil society organizations (CSOs) in democratization processes, bridging social science approaches to social movements and democracy. With a theoretical interest in the interactions between structure and agency, the project starts by revisiting the “transitology” approach to democratization and the political process approach to social movements, before moving towards more innovative approaches in both areas. From the theoretical point of view, a main innovation will be in addressing both structural preconditions as well as actors’ strategies, looking at the intersection of structure and agency. In an historical and comparative perspective, I aim to develop a description and an understanding of the conditions and effects of the participation of civil society organizations in the various stages of democratization processes. Different parts of the research will address different sub-questions linked to the broad question of CSOs’ participation in democratization processes: a) under which (external and internal) conditions and through which mechanisms do CSOs support democratization processes? b) Under which conditions and through which mechanisms do they play an important role in democratization processes? c) Under which conditions and through which mechanisms are they successful in triggering democratization processes? d) And, finally, what is the legacy of the participation of civil society during transitions to democracy on the quality of democracy during consolidation? The main empirical focus will be on recent democratization processes in EU member and associated states. The comparative research design will, however, also include selected comparisons with oppositional social movements in authoritarian regimes as well as democratization processes in other historical times and geopolitical regions. From an empirical point of view, a main innovation will lie in the development of mixed method strategies.
Summary
The project addresses the role of civil society organizations (CSOs) in democratization processes, bridging social science approaches to social movements and democracy. With a theoretical interest in the interactions between structure and agency, the project starts by revisiting the “transitology” approach to democratization and the political process approach to social movements, before moving towards more innovative approaches in both areas. From the theoretical point of view, a main innovation will be in addressing both structural preconditions as well as actors’ strategies, looking at the intersection of structure and agency. In an historical and comparative perspective, I aim to develop a description and an understanding of the conditions and effects of the participation of civil society organizations in the various stages of democratization processes. Different parts of the research will address different sub-questions linked to the broad question of CSOs’ participation in democratization processes: a) under which (external and internal) conditions and through which mechanisms do CSOs support democratization processes? b) Under which conditions and through which mechanisms do they play an important role in democratization processes? c) Under which conditions and through which mechanisms are they successful in triggering democratization processes? d) And, finally, what is the legacy of the participation of civil society during transitions to democracy on the quality of democracy during consolidation? The main empirical focus will be on recent democratization processes in EU member and associated states. The comparative research design will, however, also include selected comparisons with oppositional social movements in authoritarian regimes as well as democratization processes in other historical times and geopolitical regions. From an empirical point of view, a main innovation will lie in the development of mixed method strategies.
Max ERC Funding
1 747 200 €
Duration
Start date: 2011-06-01, End date: 2016-11-30
Project acronym NEUROTRAFFICKING
Project Molecular mechanisms controlling leukocyte trafficking in the central nervous system
Researcher (PI) Gabriela Constantin
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI VERONA
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), LS6, ERC-2010-StG_20091118
Summary Multiple sclerosis (MS) and its animal model experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) represent the prototype of autoimmune chronic inflammatory diseases of the central nervous system (CNS). Migration of activated T cells across the blood-brain barrier represents a critical step in the pathogenesis of MS and EAE, and inhibition of lymphocyte trafficking in the CNS represents a powerful therapeutic approach in MS patients as well as in animal models of this disease.
In recent years growing evidence show that immune cells and inflammation mechanisms play an unexpected role in other neurological diseases such as epilepsy. Our team has recently shown that seizures induce vascular inflammation and enhanced neutrophil and T cell adhesion in brain vessels. Inhibition of leukocyte-vascular interactions dramatically reduced seizures in an experimental model of epilepsy, suggesting leukocyte-endothelial interaction as a potential target for the prevention and treatment of epilepsy.
The main goal of this project is to study the mechanisms controlling immune cell trafficking in neurological diseases such as MS and epilepsy in which inflammation has a detrimental role. We will first study novel molecular mechanisms controlling leukocyte-endothelial interactions in CNS microcirculation taking advantage of our established expertise in intravital microscopy studies. Leukocyte trafficking will be further followed inside CNS parenchyma by using two-photon microscopy, which will allow us to characterize leukocyte migration Overall, NEUROTRAFFICKING will generate fundamental knowledge to the understanding of the role of immune system in neurological disease and will unveil novel potential therapeutic targets for CNS inflammatory pathologies.
Summary
Multiple sclerosis (MS) and its animal model experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) represent the prototype of autoimmune chronic inflammatory diseases of the central nervous system (CNS). Migration of activated T cells across the blood-brain barrier represents a critical step in the pathogenesis of MS and EAE, and inhibition of lymphocyte trafficking in the CNS represents a powerful therapeutic approach in MS patients as well as in animal models of this disease.
In recent years growing evidence show that immune cells and inflammation mechanisms play an unexpected role in other neurological diseases such as epilepsy. Our team has recently shown that seizures induce vascular inflammation and enhanced neutrophil and T cell adhesion in brain vessels. Inhibition of leukocyte-vascular interactions dramatically reduced seizures in an experimental model of epilepsy, suggesting leukocyte-endothelial interaction as a potential target for the prevention and treatment of epilepsy.
The main goal of this project is to study the mechanisms controlling immune cell trafficking in neurological diseases such as MS and epilepsy in which inflammation has a detrimental role. We will first study novel molecular mechanisms controlling leukocyte-endothelial interactions in CNS microcirculation taking advantage of our established expertise in intravital microscopy studies. Leukocyte trafficking will be further followed inside CNS parenchyma by using two-photon microscopy, which will allow us to characterize leukocyte migration Overall, NEUROTRAFFICKING will generate fundamental knowledge to the understanding of the role of immune system in neurological disease and will unveil novel potential therapeutic targets for CNS inflammatory pathologies.
Max ERC Funding
1 199 880 €
Duration
Start date: 2010-10-01, End date: 2014-09-30
Project acronym NORM
Project The genomic blueprint of macrophages: dissecting players and mechanisms through an integrative approach
Researcher (PI) Gioacchino Natoli
Host Institution (HI) ISTITUTO EUROPEO DI ONCOLOGIA SRL
Call Details Advanced Grant (AdG), LS6, ERC-2010-AdG_20100317
Summary Macrophages are highly specialized cells widely distributed in tissues and active both as immune effectors and as housekeeping phagocytes responsible for maintenance of tissue integrity. Macrophages display a striking heterogeneity that reflects a complex interplay between different micro-environmental signals provided by various tissues (as well as by microbial and endogenous stress signals), and a robust differentiation program that determines macrophage identity.
Terminal differentiation depends on the implementation of cell type-specific gene expression programs driven by fate-determining transcription factors (TF). However, the intermediate events linking lineage-specific TFs to the acquisition of the 1- and 3-dimensional genomic organization characteristic of a given cell type (and essential to configure its specific properties and its ability to properly react to the environment) are largely unknown.
The objective of this project is to understand how macrophage identity, functional specialization and plasticity are controlled by their specialized genomic organization, which is encoded in mammalian genomes, controlled by specific TFs, and modulated by the microenvironment. By integrating cutting-edge biochemical and genomic techniques, genetics in the mouse, computational approaches and equilibrium thermodynamics, the project aims at describing, and mechanistically deciphering, the specific organization and usage of the genome that is characteristic of macrophages and underlies the acquisition of their functional properties. The output of the project will include concepts and paradigms widely exportable to other cellular systems.
Summary
Macrophages are highly specialized cells widely distributed in tissues and active both as immune effectors and as housekeeping phagocytes responsible for maintenance of tissue integrity. Macrophages display a striking heterogeneity that reflects a complex interplay between different micro-environmental signals provided by various tissues (as well as by microbial and endogenous stress signals), and a robust differentiation program that determines macrophage identity.
Terminal differentiation depends on the implementation of cell type-specific gene expression programs driven by fate-determining transcription factors (TF). However, the intermediate events linking lineage-specific TFs to the acquisition of the 1- and 3-dimensional genomic organization characteristic of a given cell type (and essential to configure its specific properties and its ability to properly react to the environment) are largely unknown.
The objective of this project is to understand how macrophage identity, functional specialization and plasticity are controlled by their specialized genomic organization, which is encoded in mammalian genomes, controlled by specific TFs, and modulated by the microenvironment. By integrating cutting-edge biochemical and genomic techniques, genetics in the mouse, computational approaches and equilibrium thermodynamics, the project aims at describing, and mechanistically deciphering, the specific organization and usage of the genome that is characteristic of macrophages and underlies the acquisition of their functional properties. The output of the project will include concepts and paradigms widely exportable to other cellular systems.
Max ERC Funding
2 436 200 €
Duration
Start date: 2011-06-01, End date: 2016-05-31
