SubsidieMeestersLearning from Bats: New Strategies to Extend Healthspan and Improve Disease Resistance
BATPROTECT aims to uncover the molecular mechanisms behind bats' longevity and viral tolerance to enhance human healthspan and disease resistance through advanced genomic and immunological research.
Projectdetails
Introduction
The medical, financial, and emotional costs imposed by ageing and infectious diseases are major challenges for our societies. Strikingly, while past research has not provided solutions for extending human healthspan and preventing the harmful consequences of infections, nature has solved both problems in the only flying mammals: the bats.
Longevity and Disease Resistance in Bats
Among mammals, bats exhibit exceptional longevity with little signs of age-related diseases. Despite being reservoirs for numerous deadly viruses, viral infections in bats are mostly asymptomatic due to unique immune system adaptations.
Project Goals
The overarching goal of BATPROTECT is to achieve breakthroughs in our understanding of the molecular basis of bats' extended healthspan and disease resistance to ultimately discover new directions to improve human healthspan and disease outcomes.
Team and Expertise
BATPROTECT integrates a team of world-leading experts in:
- Bat biology
- Genomics
- Immunology
- Gerontology
Research Objectives
The project aims to synergistically:
- Elucidate the molecular mechanisms that bats use to slow down expected ageing.
- Identify the driving molecular mechanisms behind bats' viral tolerance and limited age-related inflammation.
- Uncover the genomic basis and evolution of extended healthspan and disease tolerance in bats.
- Develop transgenic animal models to functionally validate the uncovered bat adaptations.
Methodology
We will generate:
- 150 reference quality bat genomes
- Novel immunological, bioinformatic, cellular, and molecular tools required to take an integrative multi-omics approach
This will help uncover the age and immune changes that occur in wild and captive bats across the ageing spectrum.
Longevity and Immunity Regulation
We will identify the top regulators of longevity and immunity using deep neural networks analyses, to functionally validate in our cellular systems and novel transgenic animal models: BatWorms and BatMice.
Conclusion
Ultimately, we will provide a deeper understanding of extended healthspan and disease resistance and will pave the way for future therapeutics.
Financiële details & Tijdlijn
Financiële details
| Subsidiebedrag | € 11.882.510 |
| Totale projectbegroting | € 11.882.510 |
Tijdlijn
| Startdatum | 1-6-2024 |
| Einddatum | 31-5-2030 |
| Subsidiejaar | 2024 |
Partners & Locaties
Projectpartners
- UNIVERSITY COLLEGE DUBLIN, NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF IRELAND, DUBLINpenvoerder
- NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SINGAPORE PUBLIC COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE
- SENCKENBERG GESELLSCHAFT FUR NATURFORSCHUNG
- KLINIKUM DER UNIVERSITAET ZU KOELN
Land(en)
Vergelijkbare projecten binnen European Research Council
| Project | Regeling | Bedrag | Jaar | Actie |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Biodiversity, Local Knowledge and Zoonoses in Austronesia: Ethnography of Bats and Related Interspecific CommunitiesThis research explores how indigenous Austronesian communities interact with fruit bats to balance biodiversity preservation and zoonotic disease prevention through local and scientific knowledge. | ERC Advanced... | € 2.495.644 | 2023 | Details |
Genetic Engineering of Regulatory EvolutionGenRevo aims to uncover how regulatory sequences influence gene expression and phenotypes by re-engineering bat wing genetics in mice, advancing understanding of non-coding DNA's role in evolution and disease. | ERC Advanced... | € 2.490.354 | 2022 | Details |
Elucidating and targeting the mechanisms encoded in the genome of long-lived individuals to improve healthy ageingThis project aims to identify and validate rare genetic variants linked to longevity using CRISPR/Cas9 and high-throughput screening to promote healthy aging and extend lifespan. | ERC Starting... | € 1.500.000 | 2022 | Details |
Evolutionary immunology: using insect models to unravel STING-dependent conserved and innovative antiviral strategiesThis project aims to explore antiviral gene diversity in insects, leveraging cGAMP-triggered responses in Drosophila to identify novel antiviral mechanisms for potential therapeutic applications. | ERC Advanced... | € 2.396.099 | 2025 | Details |
Late life-applicable enhancement of longevity and fitness.This project aims to identify molecular solutions to restore adaptive stress responses and promote healthy aging in late life using multi-omics and functional tests across various model organisms. | ERC Consolid... | € 2.000.000 | 2023 | Details |
Biodiversity, Local Knowledge and Zoonoses in Austronesia: Ethnography of Bats and Related Interspecific Communities
This research explores how indigenous Austronesian communities interact with fruit bats to balance biodiversity preservation and zoonotic disease prevention through local and scientific knowledge.
Genetic Engineering of Regulatory Evolution
GenRevo aims to uncover how regulatory sequences influence gene expression and phenotypes by re-engineering bat wing genetics in mice, advancing understanding of non-coding DNA's role in evolution and disease.
Elucidating and targeting the mechanisms encoded in the genome of long-lived individuals to improve healthy ageing
This project aims to identify and validate rare genetic variants linked to longevity using CRISPR/Cas9 and high-throughput screening to promote healthy aging and extend lifespan.
Evolutionary immunology: using insect models to unravel STING-dependent conserved and innovative antiviral strategies
This project aims to explore antiviral gene diversity in insects, leveraging cGAMP-triggered responses in Drosophila to identify novel antiviral mechanisms for potential therapeutic applications.
Late life-applicable enhancement of longevity and fitness.
This project aims to identify molecular solutions to restore adaptive stress responses and promote healthy aging in late life using multi-omics and functional tests across various model organisms.
Vergelijkbare projecten uit andere regelingen
| Project | Regeling | Bedrag | Jaar | Actie |
|---|---|---|---|---|
THERAPRODit project richt zich op het ontwikkelen van een behandeling voor West-Nile- en Chikungunya-virusinfecties door innovatieve screening van stoffen, om de virusvermenigvuldiging te stoppen. | Mkb-innovati... | € 163.275 | 2019 | Details |
InnomABsIPA onderzoekt de haalbaarheid van het ontwikkelen van menselijke eiwitten als alternatief voor antibiotica tegen antimicrobiële resistentie. | Mkb-innovati... | € 14.888 | 2023 | Details |
THERAPRO
Dit project richt zich op het ontwikkelen van een behandeling voor West-Nile- en Chikungunya-virusinfecties door innovatieve screening van stoffen, om de virusvermenigvuldiging te stoppen.
InnomABs
IPA onderzoekt de haalbaarheid van het ontwikkelen van menselijke eiwitten als alternatief voor antibiotica tegen antimicrobiële resistentie.