Project acronym 2MoveMate4Melanoma
Project A treatment for BRAF inhibitor resistant melanoma
Researcher (PI) René BERNARDS
Host Institution (HI) STICHTING HET NEDERLANDS KANKER INSTITUUT-ANTONI VAN LEEUWENHOEK ZIEKENHUIS
Call Details Proof of Concept (PoC), PC1, ERC-2015-PoC
Summary Some 50% of human melanoma tumors have activating mutations in the BRAF gene. BRAF inhibitor drugs given either alone or in combination with MEK inhibitors have improved progression-free and overall survival in patients with BRAF mutant metastatic melanoma. However, drug resistance invariably limits the duration of clinical benefit of such treatments and is almost always associated with re-activation of signaling through the MAP kinase pathway in the presence of drug due to secondary mutations in the pathway. This highlights the urgent need to develop strategies to treat melanomas that have developed resistance to BRAF and/or MEK inhibitors.
As part of an ERC advanced grant, my laboratory has shown that BRAF inhibitor withdrawal in melanomas that have developed resistance to BRAF inhibitors leads to a transient growth arrest that is the consequence of temporary hyperactivation of signaling through the MAP kinase pathway, explaining the so called “drug holiday effect”. We have also found that subsequent treatment of such BRAF inhibitor resistant melanomas with Histone DeACetylase inhibitor drugs (HDACi) leads to persistent hyperactivation of MAP kinase signaling, causing both chronic proliferation arrest and cell death, ultimately leading to complete regression of BRAF-inhibitor resistant melanomas in mice.
We propose here to perform a proof of concept study in at least 10 evaluable melanoma patients that, after proven initial tumor response, have developed resistance to BRAF inhibitors to validate that subsequent treatment of such patients with an HDACi drug will result in durable responses. Translational studies on tumor biopsies taken before, during and after HDACi treatment will be performed to study the cellular effects of HDACi treatment. Our goal is to provide initial proof of concept in patients for use of this sequential BRAFi-HDACi therapy as the treatment of choice for the some 40,000 BRAF mutant melanomas that are diagnosed in the EU annually.
Summary
Some 50% of human melanoma tumors have activating mutations in the BRAF gene. BRAF inhibitor drugs given either alone or in combination with MEK inhibitors have improved progression-free and overall survival in patients with BRAF mutant metastatic melanoma. However, drug resistance invariably limits the duration of clinical benefit of such treatments and is almost always associated with re-activation of signaling through the MAP kinase pathway in the presence of drug due to secondary mutations in the pathway. This highlights the urgent need to develop strategies to treat melanomas that have developed resistance to BRAF and/or MEK inhibitors.
As part of an ERC advanced grant, my laboratory has shown that BRAF inhibitor withdrawal in melanomas that have developed resistance to BRAF inhibitors leads to a transient growth arrest that is the consequence of temporary hyperactivation of signaling through the MAP kinase pathway, explaining the so called “drug holiday effect”. We have also found that subsequent treatment of such BRAF inhibitor resistant melanomas with Histone DeACetylase inhibitor drugs (HDACi) leads to persistent hyperactivation of MAP kinase signaling, causing both chronic proliferation arrest and cell death, ultimately leading to complete regression of BRAF-inhibitor resistant melanomas in mice.
We propose here to perform a proof of concept study in at least 10 evaluable melanoma patients that, after proven initial tumor response, have developed resistance to BRAF inhibitors to validate that subsequent treatment of such patients with an HDACi drug will result in durable responses. Translational studies on tumor biopsies taken before, during and after HDACi treatment will be performed to study the cellular effects of HDACi treatment. Our goal is to provide initial proof of concept in patients for use of this sequential BRAFi-HDACi therapy as the treatment of choice for the some 40,000 BRAF mutant melanomas that are diagnosed in the EU annually.
Max ERC Funding
149 750 €
Duration
Start date: 2016-05-01, End date: 2017-10-31
Project acronym 3D-COUNT
Project 3D-Integrated single photon detector
Researcher (PI) Fabio SCIARRINO
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI ROMA LA SAPIENZA
Call Details Proof of Concept (PoC), PC1, ERC-2015-PoC
Summary Photonics, in recognition of its strategic significance and pervasiveness throughout many industrial sectors, has been identified as one of the Key Enabling Technologies for Europe. Photonics in combination with quantum information science has great potential to facilitate, transform and innovate future technologies for the better. The Proof of Concept (PoC) project intends to contribute to this by developing and testing a communication platform prototype, comprised of single photon detectors, which are efficiently coupled to single mode fibers using an innovative laser written device. This enables the integration of single photon detectors on innovative glass waveguides. These glass integrated photonic circuits offer excellent specifics for on-chip quantum optics implementations in terms of scattering losses, offering flexibility of the waveguide geometry and ensuring high coupling efficiency with optical fibers.
The device developed and tested in the PoC, directly addresses a market need for an integrated and efficient on-chip communication systems. Current available systems have limitations involving high costs, complex production, and inefficient coupling of detectors to optical fibers. The proposed platform will offer 1.) a simplified production process, 2.) high optical fiber coupling efficiency 3.) improved performance levels, 4.) high cost efficiency, and 5.) compactness. Such systems can be applied in a wide range of communication and non-communication applications, such as free-space optical communication, quantum communication, quantum cryptography, DNA sequencing, single molecule detection and material analysis. Moreover, the future commercialisation of quantum computing is expected to create a vast demand for these communication systems.
In addition to the technology PoC, the project carries out IPR strategy considerations through patenting actions, determines the market potential, seeks market feedback, and plans for post-PoC commercialisation paths.
Summary
Photonics, in recognition of its strategic significance and pervasiveness throughout many industrial sectors, has been identified as one of the Key Enabling Technologies for Europe. Photonics in combination with quantum information science has great potential to facilitate, transform and innovate future technologies for the better. The Proof of Concept (PoC) project intends to contribute to this by developing and testing a communication platform prototype, comprised of single photon detectors, which are efficiently coupled to single mode fibers using an innovative laser written device. This enables the integration of single photon detectors on innovative glass waveguides. These glass integrated photonic circuits offer excellent specifics for on-chip quantum optics implementations in terms of scattering losses, offering flexibility of the waveguide geometry and ensuring high coupling efficiency with optical fibers.
The device developed and tested in the PoC, directly addresses a market need for an integrated and efficient on-chip communication systems. Current available systems have limitations involving high costs, complex production, and inefficient coupling of detectors to optical fibers. The proposed platform will offer 1.) a simplified production process, 2.) high optical fiber coupling efficiency 3.) improved performance levels, 4.) high cost efficiency, and 5.) compactness. Such systems can be applied in a wide range of communication and non-communication applications, such as free-space optical communication, quantum communication, quantum cryptography, DNA sequencing, single molecule detection and material analysis. Moreover, the future commercialisation of quantum computing is expected to create a vast demand for these communication systems.
In addition to the technology PoC, the project carries out IPR strategy considerations through patenting actions, determines the market potential, seeks market feedback, and plans for post-PoC commercialisation paths.
Max ERC Funding
150 000 €
Duration
Start date: 2016-02-01, End date: 2017-07-31
Project acronym ACAP
Project Asset Centric Adaptive Protection
Researcher (PI) Bashar NUSEIBEH
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSITY OF LIMERICK
Call Details Proof of Concept (PoC), PC1, ERC-2015-PoC
Summary The proliferation of mobile and ubiquitous computing technology is radically changing the ways in which we live our lives: from interacting with friends & family, to how we produce & consume services and engage in business. However, this pervasiveness of technologies, and their increasingly seamless integration and inter-operation, are blurring the boundaries between systems. This poses significant challenges for security engineers who aim to design systems that monitor and control the movement of digital or physical assets across those boundaries.
My ERC Advanced Grant on Adaptive Security and Privacy (ASAP) is investigating ways in which security controls can change in response to changes in the context of operation of systems. However, since the monitoring of such elusive and changing boundaries is difficult, we have developed an adaptive security approach that monitors valuable assets that are managed by a system, and changes the means and extent by which those assets are protected in response to changes in assets and their values. This could radically change the way security is designed and implemented in a range of applications because it allows for a choice of appropriate protection, depending on particular requirements.
In ASAP, we developed the modelling and computational capabilities of our approach, including some prototype tool fragments that demonstrate the approach in our lab. However, interest from our industrial collaborators, evidenced by direct funding of follow-on research, and the demonstration of our prototypes to senior management and potential customers, has motivated us to pursue a proof of concept (PoC) assessment of our work in a more systematic and targeted way. To this end, this ERC PoC will:
1) Develop a robust prototype demonstrator, instantiated in two application areas (access control & cloud computing);
2) Conduct a market analysis, aided by the demonstrator;
3) Subject to (2), develop a commercialisation strategy and plan
Summary
The proliferation of mobile and ubiquitous computing technology is radically changing the ways in which we live our lives: from interacting with friends & family, to how we produce & consume services and engage in business. However, this pervasiveness of technologies, and their increasingly seamless integration and inter-operation, are blurring the boundaries between systems. This poses significant challenges for security engineers who aim to design systems that monitor and control the movement of digital or physical assets across those boundaries.
My ERC Advanced Grant on Adaptive Security and Privacy (ASAP) is investigating ways in which security controls can change in response to changes in the context of operation of systems. However, since the monitoring of such elusive and changing boundaries is difficult, we have developed an adaptive security approach that monitors valuable assets that are managed by a system, and changes the means and extent by which those assets are protected in response to changes in assets and their values. This could radically change the way security is designed and implemented in a range of applications because it allows for a choice of appropriate protection, depending on particular requirements.
In ASAP, we developed the modelling and computational capabilities of our approach, including some prototype tool fragments that demonstrate the approach in our lab. However, interest from our industrial collaborators, evidenced by direct funding of follow-on research, and the demonstration of our prototypes to senior management and potential customers, has motivated us to pursue a proof of concept (PoC) assessment of our work in a more systematic and targeted way. To this end, this ERC PoC will:
1) Develop a robust prototype demonstrator, instantiated in two application areas (access control & cloud computing);
2) Conduct a market analysis, aided by the demonstrator;
3) Subject to (2), develop a commercialisation strategy and plan
Max ERC Funding
149 977 €
Duration
Start date: 2016-11-01, End date: 2018-04-30
Project acronym AcTafactors
Project AcTafactors: Tumor Necrosis Factor-based immuno-cytokines with superior therapeutic indexes
Researcher (PI) Jan Honoré L Tavernier
Host Institution (HI) VIB VZW
Call Details Proof of Concept (PoC), ERC-2015-PoC, ERC-2015-PoC
Summary Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF) is a homotrimeric pro-inflammatory cytokine that was originally discovered based on its extraordinary antitumor activity. However, its shock-inducing properties, causing hypotension, leukopenia and multiple organ failure, prevented its systemic use in cancer treatment. With this proof-of-concept study we want to evaluate a novel class of cell-targeted TNFs with strongly reduced systemic toxicities (AcTafactors). In these engineered immuno-cytokines, single-chain TNFs that harbor mutations to reduce the affinity for its receptor(s) are fused to a cell- specific targeting domain. Whilst almost no biological activity is observed on non-targeted cells, thus preventing systemic toxicity, avidity effects at the targeted cell membrane lead to recovery of over 90% of the TNF signaling activity. In this project we propose a lead optimization program to further improve the lead AcTafactors identified in the context of the ERC Advanced Grant project and to evaluate the resulting molecules for their ability to target the tumor (neo)vasculature in clinically relevant murine tumor models. The pre-clinical proof-of-concept we aim for represents a first step towards clinical development and ultimately potential market approval of an effective AcTafactor anti-cancer therapy.
Summary
Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF) is a homotrimeric pro-inflammatory cytokine that was originally discovered based on its extraordinary antitumor activity. However, its shock-inducing properties, causing hypotension, leukopenia and multiple organ failure, prevented its systemic use in cancer treatment. With this proof-of-concept study we want to evaluate a novel class of cell-targeted TNFs with strongly reduced systemic toxicities (AcTafactors). In these engineered immuno-cytokines, single-chain TNFs that harbor mutations to reduce the affinity for its receptor(s) are fused to a cell- specific targeting domain. Whilst almost no biological activity is observed on non-targeted cells, thus preventing systemic toxicity, avidity effects at the targeted cell membrane lead to recovery of over 90% of the TNF signaling activity. In this project we propose a lead optimization program to further improve the lead AcTafactors identified in the context of the ERC Advanced Grant project and to evaluate the resulting molecules for their ability to target the tumor (neo)vasculature in clinically relevant murine tumor models. The pre-clinical proof-of-concept we aim for represents a first step towards clinical development and ultimately potential market approval of an effective AcTafactor anti-cancer therapy.
Max ERC Funding
149 320 €
Duration
Start date: 2015-11-01, End date: 2017-04-30
Project acronym AD-HOC
Project Artificial Dielectrics for High-frequency On-Chip antennas
Researcher (PI) Andrea Neto
Host Institution (HI) TECHNISCHE UNIVERSITEIT DELFT
Call Details Proof of Concept (PoC), PC1, ERC-2015-PoC
Summary High-speed wireless communication and automotive radars are two applications with huge social and market potentials that can be revolutionized by the development of high-frequency (sub-terahertz) technology. Despite the recent advances in low-cost integrated circuits, the poor performance of on-chip antennas is nowadays the major bottleneck in converting the electrical signals (on-chip) into radiated ones (off-chip). For decades the problem of “surface waves” has prevented the efficient use of radiators on chip.
The AD-HOC project aims at exploiting the breakthrough technology of Artificial Dielectric (AD) layers as the solution to the surface-wave problem of High-frequency On-Chip antennas. The processes necessary to micro-fabricate AD layers will be optimized with the goal of achieving reliable manufacturing, while offering design flexibility at low costs. This will allow the wide exploitation of the AD layers, as they can be used by industrial technology providers as add-on components to at least double the efficiency of their integrated circuit front ends.
By overcoming the fundamental limitation of integrated antennas, AD layers have high potential to become a “standard” component in all future car-safety and wireless-communication devices. The AD-HOC project will bring this innovative technology to a pre-demonstration stage to strengthen commercialization and scaling-up opportunities.
Summary
High-speed wireless communication and automotive radars are two applications with huge social and market potentials that can be revolutionized by the development of high-frequency (sub-terahertz) technology. Despite the recent advances in low-cost integrated circuits, the poor performance of on-chip antennas is nowadays the major bottleneck in converting the electrical signals (on-chip) into radiated ones (off-chip). For decades the problem of “surface waves” has prevented the efficient use of radiators on chip.
The AD-HOC project aims at exploiting the breakthrough technology of Artificial Dielectric (AD) layers as the solution to the surface-wave problem of High-frequency On-Chip antennas. The processes necessary to micro-fabricate AD layers will be optimized with the goal of achieving reliable manufacturing, while offering design flexibility at low costs. This will allow the wide exploitation of the AD layers, as they can be used by industrial technology providers as add-on components to at least double the efficiency of their integrated circuit front ends.
By overcoming the fundamental limitation of integrated antennas, AD layers have high potential to become a “standard” component in all future car-safety and wireless-communication devices. The AD-HOC project will bring this innovative technology to a pre-demonstration stage to strengthen commercialization and scaling-up opportunities.
Max ERC Funding
150 000 €
Duration
Start date: 2016-09-01, End date: 2018-02-28
Project acronym AD-VIP
Project Alzheimer’s disease and AAV9: Use of a virus-based delivery system for vectored immunoprophylaxis in dementia.
Researcher (PI) MATTHEW GUY HOLT
Host Institution (HI) VIB VZW
Call Details Proof of Concept (PoC), PC1, ERC-2015-PoC
Summary Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia in the Western World, representing an economic and social cost of billions of euros a year. Given the changing demographics of society, these costs will only increase over the coming decades.
Amyloid plaques, composed of amyloid beta peptide (Abeta), are a defining characteristic of AD. Evidence now suggests that Abeta is central to disease pathogenesis due to its toxicity, which leads to cell loss and eventual cognitive decline. Abeta is generated by proteolytic cleavage of amyloid precursor protein, a process that involves the protein BACE1.
Knock-down of BACE1 is sufficient to prevent amyloid pathology and cognitive deficits in transgenic mouse models of AD, so BACE1 is an attractive target for therapeutic intervention. Although many small molecule inhibitors of BACE1 have been developed, many have problems with imperfect selectivity, posing a substantial risk for off-target toxicity in vivo. In contrast, antibody-based therapeutics provide an attractive alternative given their excellent molecular selectivity. However, the success of antibody therapies in AD is limited by the blood brain barrier, which limits antibody entry into the brain from the systemic circulation.
Recent studies have shown that adeno-associated virus serotype 9 (AAV9) effectively crosses the blood brain barrier. Here, we propose evaluating the use of AAV9 as a delivery system for a highly specific and potent inhibitory nanobody targeted against BACE1 as a treatment for AD.
Summary
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia in the Western World, representing an economic and social cost of billions of euros a year. Given the changing demographics of society, these costs will only increase over the coming decades.
Amyloid plaques, composed of amyloid beta peptide (Abeta), are a defining characteristic of AD. Evidence now suggests that Abeta is central to disease pathogenesis due to its toxicity, which leads to cell loss and eventual cognitive decline. Abeta is generated by proteolytic cleavage of amyloid precursor protein, a process that involves the protein BACE1.
Knock-down of BACE1 is sufficient to prevent amyloid pathology and cognitive deficits in transgenic mouse models of AD, so BACE1 is an attractive target for therapeutic intervention. Although many small molecule inhibitors of BACE1 have been developed, many have problems with imperfect selectivity, posing a substantial risk for off-target toxicity in vivo. In contrast, antibody-based therapeutics provide an attractive alternative given their excellent molecular selectivity. However, the success of antibody therapies in AD is limited by the blood brain barrier, which limits antibody entry into the brain from the systemic circulation.
Recent studies have shown that adeno-associated virus serotype 9 (AAV9) effectively crosses the blood brain barrier. Here, we propose evaluating the use of AAV9 as a delivery system for a highly specific and potent inhibitory nanobody targeted against BACE1 as a treatment for AD.
Max ERC Funding
150 000 €
Duration
Start date: 2016-12-01, End date: 2018-05-31
Project acronym AMEFOCT
Project Add-on module for optical coherence tomography with en-face view option
Researcher (PI) Adrian Podoleanu
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSITY OF KENT
Call Details Proof of Concept (PoC), ERC-2015-PoC, ERC-2015-PoC
Summary By the end of the 4th year of the ERC Advanced grant, the PI has set up the basis of a unique procedure to perform optical coherence tomography (OCT) that is similar in outcome to time domain interferometry but has all advantages of spectral domain interferometry in terms of speed and sensitivity. The new method of OCT, termed as Master/Slave (MS), is characterised by several advantages: direct production of an en-face OCT image, tolerance to dispersion that allows MS-OCT to achieve the theoretical limit of axial resolution and sensitivity that can be tailored for no hardware and time cost, with the axial resolution. By excellence, the Master/Slave OCT method delivers en-face views direct, allowing lower cost hardware and faster provision of en-face slicing and visualisation. An essential advantage is that of parallel processing, that makes MS-OCT, ideally suited to novel parallel optical configurations and graphic processing units (GPU). These advantages can substantially increase the speed in providing volumes of the tissue, making the new OCT method superior to all other methods on the market. The POC support will help advance the MS-OCT closer to commercialisation. Four market strategies are identified with immediate products for the first two. OCT add-on modules, equipped with MS software, for: A. OCT developers, to accelerate their research and B. OCT developers that can modify existing commercial OCT systems, by making them accomplish the MS protocol. The module to be assembled and assessed for commercialisation will also pave the way to two more strategies: C. Companies already selling OCT systems on dedicated markets, where specialised agreements will widen the market and even D. A full OCT system created by the new company, an ultimate outcome that requires investment, based on revenue acquired by selling the add-on modules.
Summary
By the end of the 4th year of the ERC Advanced grant, the PI has set up the basis of a unique procedure to perform optical coherence tomography (OCT) that is similar in outcome to time domain interferometry but has all advantages of spectral domain interferometry in terms of speed and sensitivity. The new method of OCT, termed as Master/Slave (MS), is characterised by several advantages: direct production of an en-face OCT image, tolerance to dispersion that allows MS-OCT to achieve the theoretical limit of axial resolution and sensitivity that can be tailored for no hardware and time cost, with the axial resolution. By excellence, the Master/Slave OCT method delivers en-face views direct, allowing lower cost hardware and faster provision of en-face slicing and visualisation. An essential advantage is that of parallel processing, that makes MS-OCT, ideally suited to novel parallel optical configurations and graphic processing units (GPU). These advantages can substantially increase the speed in providing volumes of the tissue, making the new OCT method superior to all other methods on the market. The POC support will help advance the MS-OCT closer to commercialisation. Four market strategies are identified with immediate products for the first two. OCT add-on modules, equipped with MS software, for: A. OCT developers, to accelerate their research and B. OCT developers that can modify existing commercial OCT systems, by making them accomplish the MS protocol. The module to be assembled and assessed for commercialisation will also pave the way to two more strategies: C. Companies already selling OCT systems on dedicated markets, where specialised agreements will widen the market and even D. A full OCT system created by the new company, an ultimate outcome that requires investment, based on revenue acquired by selling the add-on modules.
Max ERC Funding
149 917 €
Duration
Start date: 2015-11-01, End date: 2017-04-30
Project acronym AngioResist
Project Coordinated Development of Inhibitors and Biomarkers for Resistance to Antiangiogenics in Cancer - AngioResist
Researcher (PI) Oriol CASANOVAS CASANOVAS
Host Institution (HI) INSTITUT CATALA D'ONCOLOGIA
Call Details Proof of Concept (PoC), PC1, ERC-2015-PoC
Summary Many anti-angiogenic drugs are clinically used in several types of cancer to block angiogenesis, impair tumor growth, progression and dissemination. Nevertheless, clinical trials report emergence of resistance to treatment and a failure in long-lasting effects of these therapies. To date, resistant patients do not currently have any established, proven alternative therapeutic possibility and the medical field is moving towards a careful selection of subgroups or subtypes of patients that have to be treated with each one of the available second-line targeted drugs. For this relevant unmet medical need, many laboratories and pharmaceutical companies have focused on developing new biomarkers and new drugs to fight anti-angiogenic resistance, but up to date, there is no proven established biomarker or method to predict which patient’s tumor is resistant to antiangiogenic therapies and which drug is capable of blocking this resistance to therapy.
AngioResist PoC aims at solving the existing patient selection gap in the treatment of cancer that is therapeutically resistant to antiangiogenic drugs. Based on data generated from our ERC project and two filed European Patent applications, AngioResist PoC will transform the acquired basic knowledge into an Innovation project, to validate a novel biomarker of response/resistance to antiangiogenics together with a new inhibitor for the treatment of these selected patients. The project will coordinately perform the preclinical phases of development of the drug compound and the biomarker, with the final aim of licensing them both to a selected partner during the clinical phases. Together with our licensee, we aim at the final distribution of a therapeutic drug that will be delivered with a biomarker kit for the selection and treatment of cancer patients resistant to antiangiogenic drugs.
Summary
Many anti-angiogenic drugs are clinically used in several types of cancer to block angiogenesis, impair tumor growth, progression and dissemination. Nevertheless, clinical trials report emergence of resistance to treatment and a failure in long-lasting effects of these therapies. To date, resistant patients do not currently have any established, proven alternative therapeutic possibility and the medical field is moving towards a careful selection of subgroups or subtypes of patients that have to be treated with each one of the available second-line targeted drugs. For this relevant unmet medical need, many laboratories and pharmaceutical companies have focused on developing new biomarkers and new drugs to fight anti-angiogenic resistance, but up to date, there is no proven established biomarker or method to predict which patient’s tumor is resistant to antiangiogenic therapies and which drug is capable of blocking this resistance to therapy.
AngioResist PoC aims at solving the existing patient selection gap in the treatment of cancer that is therapeutically resistant to antiangiogenic drugs. Based on data generated from our ERC project and two filed European Patent applications, AngioResist PoC will transform the acquired basic knowledge into an Innovation project, to validate a novel biomarker of response/resistance to antiangiogenics together with a new inhibitor for the treatment of these selected patients. The project will coordinately perform the preclinical phases of development of the drug compound and the biomarker, with the final aim of licensing them both to a selected partner during the clinical phases. Together with our licensee, we aim at the final distribution of a therapeutic drug that will be delivered with a biomarker kit for the selection and treatment of cancer patients resistant to antiangiogenic drugs.
Max ERC Funding
149 932 €
Duration
Start date: 2016-09-01, End date: 2018-02-28
Project acronym ARRAY SEQ
Project Array-tagged single cell gene expression by parallel linear RNA amplification and sequencing
Researcher (PI) Itai Yanai
Host Institution (HI) TECHNION - ISRAEL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
Call Details Proof of Concept (PoC), ERC-2015-PoC, ERC-2015-PoC
Summary In many biomedical research and clinical applications it would be tremendously useful to know the gene expression profile of each and every cell in a sample, be it a blood sample or tumor. At present, the most advanced single-cell technologies are limited to a few thousand cells by a laborious and expensive approach. We have invented a method allowing the determination of the transcriptomes of millions of cells in parallel, using array-based technique for tagging single cells. The protocol combines our previously published protocol for single cell transcriptomics – CEL-Seq – with a new membrane based system for capturing single cells and a DNA microarray for differentially tagging each cell in the membrane. If further developed into a commercial platform, our method could have tremendous impact on clinical and research transcriptomics. Our method requires no expensive equipment, low amounts of reagents and little hands-on, making it unlike any available protocol for single cell analysis. Our method also has great versatility as it can be used for analyzing up to a million cells, but can also be easily scaled down to several hundreds, promising to make it the state of the art protocol for any lab interested in single cell biology. Our method thus represents a game-changer because it completely reinvents the scale under which cells can be examined – affordably and without a need for expensive instruments – by at least three orders of magnitude. The aim of this project is to establish a user-friendly platform for our method that could be commercially available in the coming years. The developed platform will facilitate a large-scale ability to query cells; the breadth of possible research and personal medicine applications is unimaginable at present.
Summary
In many biomedical research and clinical applications it would be tremendously useful to know the gene expression profile of each and every cell in a sample, be it a blood sample or tumor. At present, the most advanced single-cell technologies are limited to a few thousand cells by a laborious and expensive approach. We have invented a method allowing the determination of the transcriptomes of millions of cells in parallel, using array-based technique for tagging single cells. The protocol combines our previously published protocol for single cell transcriptomics – CEL-Seq – with a new membrane based system for capturing single cells and a DNA microarray for differentially tagging each cell in the membrane. If further developed into a commercial platform, our method could have tremendous impact on clinical and research transcriptomics. Our method requires no expensive equipment, low amounts of reagents and little hands-on, making it unlike any available protocol for single cell analysis. Our method also has great versatility as it can be used for analyzing up to a million cells, but can also be easily scaled down to several hundreds, promising to make it the state of the art protocol for any lab interested in single cell biology. Our method thus represents a game-changer because it completely reinvents the scale under which cells can be examined – affordably and without a need for expensive instruments – by at least three orders of magnitude. The aim of this project is to establish a user-friendly platform for our method that could be commercially available in the coming years. The developed platform will facilitate a large-scale ability to query cells; the breadth of possible research and personal medicine applications is unimaginable at present.
Max ERC Funding
150 000 €
Duration
Start date: 2015-09-01, End date: 2017-02-28
Project acronym ART
Project Development of an Anger Regulation Tool for Hand-Held Devices
Researcher (PI) Sander Leon KOOLE
Host Institution (HI) STICHTING VU
Call Details Proof of Concept (PoC), PC1, ERC-2015-PoC
Summary Our research team at the Amsterdam Emotion regulation Lab (emotionregulationlab.com) has recently established that avoidance movements can lower anger and aggression among individuals with chronic anger management problems. Building on and extending these findings, we propose to develop, test, and market an interactive application that runs on mobile devices such as smart phones and tablets. This Anger Reduction Tool (ART) will consist of a ‘serious game’ that trains people to make avoidance movements to angry faces. The ART will be commercialized through a freemium model, such that it will be made freely available, while users can purchase additional functionalities using bio- and neuro-feedback modules. The ART will be marketed to mental health professionals with clients who are not willing or able to respond to traditional cognitive interventions, such as high school children or lower-educated violent offenders. By harnessing the possibilities of smart technology, the ART allows people to become co-managers of their (mental) health and well-being.
Summary
Our research team at the Amsterdam Emotion regulation Lab (emotionregulationlab.com) has recently established that avoidance movements can lower anger and aggression among individuals with chronic anger management problems. Building on and extending these findings, we propose to develop, test, and market an interactive application that runs on mobile devices such as smart phones and tablets. This Anger Reduction Tool (ART) will consist of a ‘serious game’ that trains people to make avoidance movements to angry faces. The ART will be commercialized through a freemium model, such that it will be made freely available, while users can purchase additional functionalities using bio- and neuro-feedback modules. The ART will be marketed to mental health professionals with clients who are not willing or able to respond to traditional cognitive interventions, such as high school children or lower-educated violent offenders. By harnessing the possibilities of smart technology, the ART allows people to become co-managers of their (mental) health and well-being.
Max ERC Funding
150 000 €
Duration
Start date: 2017-01-01, End date: 2018-06-30
