Human Technopole awarded ERC Consolidator Grant to study the genome in 3D
Magda Bienko, Group Leader at the Functional Genomics Centre at Human Technopole has been awarded an ERC Consolidator Grant for her research project “Radialis”. The project, which has earned a funding of 2 million euros, aims to understand the design principles shaping genome architecture.
Within our cells, DNA is folded in a three-dimensional structure. The way it is folded and packaged within the nucleus has important consequences for the expression of our genes. Disruption of the 3D organization of genomes can have important repercussions on our health and be at the basis of diseases such as cancer or neurodegenerative disorders.
The ERC winning project “Radialis” has five main objectives: study radial organization of the genome at single-cell level; explore the consequence(s) of perturbation of the radial organization of the genome; trace 3D genome structure through cell division; dissect the role of nuclear RNA in shaping genome radiality; identify nuclear processes shaped by genome radiality.
“I strongly believe in the power of fundamental basic research. In fact, no major breakthroughs in medicine would be possible without us thoroughly understanding how cell functions, and so this project falls under this category. It deals with very fundamental questions in biology, studying how our genome is structured in 3D. The discovery of the structure of DNA itself, in 1953, revolutionised life sciences. Now it’s time to focus on the genome in its entirety and understanding how it is structured in the volume of the nucleus. Human Technopole is a perfect place for the project given the numerous technologies from various fields, the concentration of expertise and top-notch infrastructure”, stated Magda Bienko Group Leader at the Functional Genomics Centre at Human Technopole.
Magda Bienko joined HT in September 2022 from the Science for Life Laboratory and Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden. Magda did her postdoc with Alexander van Oudenaarden at MIT in Boston and her PhD with Ivan Dikic at the Goethe University in Frankfurt, Germany, after graduating from the Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Poland, where she studied biotechnology.
Share:
You could also like:
-
Italy at the centre of the Genome of Europe project
The Human Technopole, ELIXIR Italia, the national node of the European life sciences research infrastructure coordinated by the National Research Council (CNR), and the Centro Cardiologico Monzino, as the Italian coordinating centre, have been selected as the Italian partners of Genome of Europe (GoE), the largest EU-funded genomic project, whose ultimate goal is to make […]
-
Human Technopole wins 2024 Oscar di Bilancio
On Friday 13 December, at Palazzo Mezzanotte in Milan, the Human Technopole Foundation’s ‘Integrated Report 2023’ received the Oscar di Bilancio in the social enterprises and non-profit organisations category. The award was presented to President Gianmario Verona, Elena Trovesi, Head of Administration, as well as the project leaders Giovanni Selmi, Head of Finance, and Alessandro […]
-
Mosaic Organoids to Study the Brains of Multiple Patients Simultaneously
An international team of scientists from Human Technopole and the University of Milan has developed and validated an innovative approach to studying human brain development across multiple individuals simultaneously using single organoids—laboratory models that replicate key cellular processes of human neurodevelopment. The research paves the way for in vitro population studies. Additionally, the scientists have developed a novel computational method to more accurately quantify the genetic identity of individual cells profiled from multiple individuals concurrently. The findings have been published in Nature Methods.
-
Cancer stem cell morphology predicts glioblastoma growth and resistance
Human Technopole researchers have identified adducin-γ (ADD3) as a crucial regulator of glioblastoma cancer stem cell morphology and intercellular bridges between tumour cells. These connections facilitate communication and allow tumour cells to share resources, evade chemotherapy, and survive in challenging conditions. The study has been funded by AIRC and the findings are published in Life Science Alliance.
-
Colorectal Cancer: ML Enhances Cetuximab Response Predictions
An international collaborative study led by Human Technopole, Candiolo Cancer Institute IRCCS in Turin, the University of Turin, and the Wellcome Sanger Institute in Cambridge (UK) has identified new factors associated with therapeutic response in colorectal cancer. The research has led to the development of a machine-learning model capable of accurately predicting the effects of cetuximab, a drug in clinical use, on different colorectal tumour subtypes. Funded by the AIRC Foundation, the study paves the way to identifying molecular features that could serve as biomarkers for predicting treatment response in patients with this type of cancer.