The European Research Council (ERC) has announced the award of a further 134 Proof of Concept grants, bringing the total number of researchers who have benefited from this type of funding over the past year to 245. Each grant is worth €150,000 and helps ERC recipients bridge the gap between their pioneering research results and the early stages of commercialisation. As part of this competition, a total of €36.75 million has been allocated to funding innovation. The grants programme is part of the EU's Horizon Europe research and innovation programme.
One FNRS researcher is among the 134 beneficiaries: Esteban Gurzov, Senior Research Fellow at ULB.
Project name: REPRO-PTP - Reversing metabolic reprogramming in obesity-associated hepatocellular carcinoma by inhibiting receptor protein tyrosine phosphatases
Project details:
The global obesity epidemic is leading to an alarming increase in metabolic diseases, including diabetes, liver dysfunction and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Worryingly, obesity accounts for 40% of the increase in HCC cases in developed countries. HCC, the most common primary liver cancer, is now a major public health problem, with a five-year survival rate of just 15% and annual healthcare costs in excess of €4 billion in Europe. To address this urgent medical need, the REPRO-PTP project, supported by the ERC Proof-of-Concept programme, proposes a revolutionary targeted therapy to combat obesity-associated HCC, with the aim of halting the progression of the cancer and reducing the risk of relapse.
