METAFUN
Financiado
Metabolic control of immune cell function during fungal infection
The high mortality rates and healthcare costs associated with severe fungal infections highlight the urgent need to unveil their pathogenetic mechanisms and develop more effective diagnosis and treatment measures. Innate immunity...
The high mortality rates and healthcare costs associated with severe fungal infections highlight the urgent need to unveil their pathogenetic mechanisms and develop more effective diagnosis and treatment measures. Innate immunity has a key role in host response to fungal infection, by mediating fungal recognition and elimination, and modulating adaptive immune responses. The long pentraxin PTX3 is a soluble pattern recognition receptor that is involved in the recognition and opsonisation of Aspergillus fumigatus. Metabolism is a central regulator of immune cell function. Phagocytosis of A. fumigatus conidia elicits enhanced glycolysis in macrophages and is essential for optimal antifungal effector functions. Preliminary data from the host lab indicate that PTX3 deficiency, by compromising the metabolic reprogramming of macrophages, impairs phagocytosis, but also their conidiacidal capacity upon infection. Nevertheless, little is known about the mechanistic bases linking the functional activity of PTX3 and immune cell metabolism in the pathogenesis of fungal infection. In METAFUN, we propose to (i) define the molecular and cellular mechanisms whereby PTX3 regulates immune cell metabolism, (ii) dissect the spatiotemporal contribution of PTX3 to intracellular mechanisms of fungal clearance, and (iii) evaluate the contribution of PTX3 to fungicidal mechanisms in a human disease-relevant context using lung-on-a-chip systems. This original and interdisciplinary project will reveal previously unanticipated functions of PTX3 in antifungal immunity and will lay the foundations for the identification of new diagnostic and therapeutic targets for fungal disease.
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Duración del proyecto: 28 meses
Fecha Inicio: 2023-05-10
Fecha Fin: 2025-09-30
Fecha Fin: 2025-09-30
Línea de financiación: concedida
El organismo HORIZON EUROPE notifico la concesión del proyecto el día 2023-05-10
Línea de financiación objetivo
El proyecto se financió a través de la siguiente ayuda:
Presupuesto
El presupuesto total del proyecto asciende a
157K€
Líder del proyecto
UNIVERSIDADE DO MINHO
No se ha especificado una descripción o un objeto social para esta compañía.
Perfil tecnológico
TRL
4-5
Perfil tecnológico
TRL
4-5
N.D. |
Participante