DeLIVER — Super-resolution optical microscopy of nanosized pore dynamics in endothelial cells

Results in brief

Super-resolution optical microscopy of nanosized pore dynamics in endothelial cells

DeLIVER is an Innovative Training Network (ITN) funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 766181. The main purpose of DeLIVER is the training of 14 early stage researchers in state of the art biomedical research and imaging methods to further our understanding of the structure and function of cells critical to liver function and healthy ageing. This network comprises a collaborative activity of 6 universities and 3 small and medium sized enterprises across Europe with additional partners from across the world. The liver contains a large number of very fine capillaries (the sinusoids), which are lined by endothelial cells. In the liver, these endothelial cells are called liver sinousoidal endothelial cells (LSEC) and the contain thousands of nanosized pores that enable the clearance of molecules and small particles from the blood. The size of these nanopores is well below the optical diffraction limit and consequently, very little is known about the extremely important physiological function of these unique structures and their role in the transfer and/or clearance of metabolites and pharmaceuticals to vital organs. LSEC are also responsible for the removal and degradation of pharmaceuticals, virus and waste macromolecules, making them a highly relevant type of cell for the study of pharmacological drug uptake. Because of the issues mentioned above, however, most pharmaceutical companies currently cannot assess the effect of drugs on these cells. Novel optical microscopy tools have become available in last few years that now enable for the first time the microscopic study of living cells on the nanoscale and their function. The key research objectives of DeLIVER are: - To develop novel high-speed super-resolution optical technologies that transcend the 200nm optical diffraction barrier - To develop open-access tools for super-resolution optical image reconstruction and blue-prints for high-speed, real-time image reconstruction. - To extend optical nanoscopy methods to 3D cell culture and in situ tissue studies. - To obtain mechanistic descriptions of small molecule/pharmaceutical interactions with living LSEC, with liver tissue, and the effect of ageing on this process.

Data: CORDIS, © European Union

Project objective

DeLIVER will train a new generation of ESRs in the development and application of newly developed high speed and high resolution imaging tools in biomedical research. ESRs will be cross-pollinated with concepts and skills in physics and biomedicine, in particular in super-resolution optical imaging (a.k.a. optical nanoscopy), analytical image reconstruction, and optical micro-manipulation methods. These skills are applied to reveal for the first time the function and dynamics of nanosized pores in endothelial cells (EC) that present the main barrier between the blood and vital organs for human physiology, such as the liver, brain, kidneys, and the eyes. Very little is known about the extremely important physiological function of these unique structures and their role in the transfer and/or clearance of metabolites and pharmaceuticals to vital organs. The current generation of optical nanoscopes, however, is rather slow and can only be applied to isolated, typically fixed (i.e. dead) cells rather than biomedically relevant tissues. Also, newcomers to the field need to familiarize themselves with a whole new set of potential problems that might arise in the use of optical nanoscopy, such as image reconstruction-related artifacts to name just one example.This is an area of research where European enterprises are very active. Excellent training in new scientific and complementary skills, combined with international and intersectoral work experience, will instil an innovative, creative and entrepreneurial mind-set in DeLIVER's ESRs, maximising economic benefits based on scientific discoveries. These specialised, highly trained, and mobile ESRs will have greatly enhanced career prospects. The training in novel physical methods with highly relevant experience in the biomedical sciences will allow them to confidently navigate at the interface of academic, clinical and private sector research.

Original text from CORDIS.

Participants

UNIVERSITAET BIELEFELD · BielefeldCoordinatorGermany
ANZAC HEALTH AND MEDICAL RESEARCH FOUNDATION · Concord NswAustralia
BAYER AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT · LeverkusenGermany
CHERRY BIOTECH · MONTREUILFrance
ELVESYS · PARISFrance
GOETEBORGS UNIVERSITET · GoeteborgSweden
LAVISION BIOTEC GMBH · BielefeldGermany
Norinnova Technology Transfer AS · TromsøNorway
THE CHANCELLOR, MASTERS AND SCHOLARS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD · OxfordUnited Kingdom
THE UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM · BirminghamUnited Kingdom
THE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG · PokfulamHong Kong SAR China
UNIVERSITETET I TROMSOE - NORGES ARKTISKE UNIVERSITET · TromsoNorway
United States Department of Health and Human Services · Washington D.C.United States
VRIJE UNIVERSITEIT BRUSSEL · Bruxelles / BrusselBelgium

DeLIVER · Super-resolution optical microscopy of nanosized pore dynamics in endothelial cells

Results in brief

Super-resolution optical microscopy of nanosized pore dynamics in endothelial cells

Project objective

Participants

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