The Rawlins lab has been awarded an ERC Advanced grant focused on developing the underpinning knowledge for future human lung regeneration: LungDeCode.
Some lung diseases are even more deadly than cancer. The aim of the new grant obtained by the Rawlins lab is to understand, or decode, how the human lungs normally control the number and type of cells they contain. Eventually, it may be possible to use this knowledge to treat lung some forms of lung disease.
The funded work will focus on using new human lung models and genetic tools developed by the Rawlins lab to "decode" cell lineages and mechanisms of fate decisions. The long-term aim is to use this new knowledge to manipulate cell fate in the early stages of human lung diseases to restore normal cell balance and homeostasis.
Professor Emma Rawlins says, “I am extremely grateful to all my lab for working so hard on the new techniques that will allow us to complete this ambitious piece of work.”
The Advanced Grant competition is one of the most prestigious and competitive funding schemes in the EU. It gives senior researchers the opportunity to pursue ambitious, curiosity-driven projects that could lead to major scientific breakthroughs. The new grants are part of the EU’s Horizon Europe programme.
