FNR 2023 CORE Call final results

Six projects involving the LIH selected for funding

• Department of Infection and Immunity
• Donation

On December 14^th, the Luxembourg National Research Fund (FNR) announced the final results of its 2023 CORE Call. A total of 42 out of the 188 eligible proposals were retained for funding, corresponding to an FNR financial commitment of over EUR 29 million. An additional two LIH projects were confirmed for funding, on top of the four previously announced in November 2023, bringing the total of funded projects involving the LIH to six. This corresponds to a total financial support of just under EUR 3.7 million.

CORE is the central funding programme of the FNR, aiming to strengthen the scientific quality of Luxembourg’s public research and implement the country’s research priorities. The six LIH projects selected for funding under the “Personalised Healthcare” category address two of the National Research Priorities subcategories, namely “Complex biomedical systems – data and models” and “Precision medicine, including environmental, lifestyle and socioeconomic factors”. These in turn address the needs for novel multiscale and mechanistic models, innovative molecular disease models and for the identification of common mechanisms between diseases for patient stratification.

The two additional projects confirmed for funding under the CORE 2023 call are the following:

• IMPACTT (Identifying Molecular Patterns Of Atypical Chemokine Receptors For Translational Targeting): led by Drs Martyna Szpakowska and Andy Chevigné of the LIH Department of Infection and Immunity (DII), the project will explore in depth the biology of the atypical chemokine receptor GPR182, which plays an important role in modulating the infiltration of immune cells into the tumour. In collaboration with the co-funder Swiss National Science Foundation, the team will aim to identify modulators of GPR182 modulators by developing inhibitors or by screening libraries of FDA-approved molecules, with the ultimate goal of establishing innovative approaches to improve the effectiveness of current cancer immunotherapies by increasing the infiltration of immune system cells in the tumour bed. The project was granted EUR 788,000 under the FNR CORE/INTER programme and is also co-financed by the Fondation Cancer. It was particularly praised by the selection panel for its excellent design, highly interesting scope and tangible expected impact on cancer treatment, having been ranked among the best proposals of the call.  
• IFAM (Exploring Early Immune Mechanisms Of Food-allergic Reactions In Humans To Develop Markers And Treatment Targets): led by Dr Annette Kuehn of the DII, the project will address the in-vivo immune response in acute episodes of food allergy by analysing blood samples taken during oral food challenges with peanut and cashew nut, both main elicitors of food-induced anaphylaxis, to study the resulting functional immune changes. The identification of new immune features correlated with clinical outcomes are expected to foster improved diagnosis and therapy, ultimately improving the lives of millions of patients affected by food allergies. The project was granted EUR 695,000 under the FNR CORE/INTER programme and is co-funded by the Austrian Science Fund.

These come on top of the four projects previously announced in November 2023, namely CRISCD8TERA (CRISPR screens in primary human CD8 central memory T cells identify regulators driving CD8 TEMRA differentiation), T3L2 (Translation as novel therapeutic target in leukaemia/lymphoma), NANO-SCOPE (Pre-operative methylation-based brain tumor classification), and ReForMCaS (Regulation Of Formate Metabolism By Calcium Signalling In Cancer And Neurodegeneration).

We are very grateful to the FNR and the Fondation Cancer for renewing their commitment to our research, as well as to our international partners for supporting our joint efforts in the context of the CORE/INTER projects,

states Dr Frank Glod, Chief of Scientific Operations at LIH.

“The funded studies all address clear clinical needs and are expected to provide concrete insights into disease mechanisms, paving the way for new treatment and diagnostic approaches.”

The complete list of projects funded by the 2023 FNR CORE call can be found here.