Project description
A non-invasive window into brain cell diversity
How do different brain cells change during health and disease? The answer is key to unlocking new treatments. Unfortunately, current methods are invasive and rarely used in humans. With this in mind, the ERC-funded CellPrism project is developing a non-invasive cell-type decoder that maps the brain’s cellular make-up, like a virtual biopsy. Using enhanced diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance spectroscopy (dMRS), CellPrism will detect subtle changes in specific cell subtypes, such as astrocytes and microglia, which respond differently to inflammation. The technique will be validated in mice and then adapted for human use, offering a powerful new tool to study brain plasticity and disease over time, without ever needing a scalpel.
Objective
The brain is plastic: it constantly adapts to its environment thanks to numerous cell-types with varied functions. Brain cell-types fall into two broad categories: neurons and glial cells. These are further subdivided into multiple subtypes with specific functions tightly linked to their morphology. For example, astrocytes and microglia, two types of glial cells, respond very differently to brain inflammation: astrocytes increase in size and their morphology becomes more complex, whereas microglia become rounder and less complex. Gold-standard methods for assessing brain cell morphology are highly invasive. They are rarely applied in humans and cannot be used for repeated assessments over time, which is essential to understanding evolving processes and diseases. Magnetic resonance imaging can non-invasively image brain structure and function, but it cannot currently differentiate cell-type-specific changes.
I will build a non-invasive brain cell-type decoder, to extract cellular composition and morphometry for a range of cell subtypes in physiological and pathological conditions, akin to a non-invasive biopsy. To achieve this I propose a novel paradigm built upon diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance spectroscopy (dMRS), a technique that is sensitive to the displacement of intracellular metabolites. I aim to enhance dMRS to achieve cell-subtype specificity and go beyond the glial/neuronal dichotomy. CellPrism’s strategy integrates prior knowledge about cell-types and encompasses the wealth of information available in dMRS in an integrated manner. CellPrism will be validated using causal pharmacological and genetic manipulations in mice. Translation to humans will be conducted at high field, whilst establishing sensitive protocols at accessible clinical fields. Finally, CellPrism will be piloted in patient populations where cellular mechanisms are well described in animal models and post-mortem analyses.
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.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
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
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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-ERC - HORIZON ERC Grants
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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) ERC-2024-STG
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75015 Paris
France
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