Manel Esteller as Principal Investigator (PI) and María Berdasco as co-PI represent the Josep Carreras Research Institute as a Consortium Member of cONCReTE, a project to study novel classes of tumor-associated ncRNAs, awarded with a Research and Innovation Staff Exchange (RISE) European Commission grant, in the frame of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA).

Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), represent a large class of molecules that in concert regulate the expression of genes involved in key pathways governing cell differentiation, proliferation, intercellular communication, and motility. The deregulation of cellular ncRNAs in the heterogeneous tumor mass and the microenvironment of cells is implicated in tumor progression, increased immune tolerance, weak therapeutic response, and increased metastatic potential.

This project, coordinated by Prof. Gerolama Condorelli from Naples University Federico II in Italy, joins together nineteen organizations within companies, research centers, universities, and hospitals from nine countries. It aims to characterize novel classes of tumor-associated ncRNAs, investigate the impact of ncRNAs on key aspects of tumor cell biology, and develop cargoes such as “aptamers” for delivering therapeutic ncRNA derivatives into specific cancer cell types.

The RISE MSCA grant finances 2.060.800 euros and will last four years from the 1st of May 2020. It promotes an international and inter-sectorial network, funding the mobility and exchange of researchers in Academia and industries. The cONCReTE Consortium plans 59 secondments between the staff of all the participating institutions, as well as other research training activities, aiming to enhance the research in epigenetic therapies against cancer.