T3NET · Tissue Transmigration Training Network

Cardiovascular and cancer-related diseases are the leading causes of human mortality and disability. The underlying mechanisms originate from chronic interstitial cell activation leading to pathological tissue remodelling and malfunction of cells. These depend on three fundamental processes: cell adhesion, migration, and modulation/degradation of the extracellular matrix (ECM), which together determine tissue invasion and remodelling. The proposed ITN Tissue Transmigration Training Network (T3Net) is aimed at promoting excellence in training in these areas, with an emphasis on cutting-edge technologies and complementary skills training. T3Net is very timely and has a multidisciplinary training approach unavailable within a single country of the EU. T3Net will be crucial in bundling current and future European expertise and to thus consolidate the momentary European leadership in these emerging key areas of biomedical research. The academic and industrial partners will provide training in new areas of research including the cell structures mediating invasion such as podosomes and invadopodia, as well as the application of materials sciences, nanotechnology and state-of-the-art in vivo imaging. These techniques will be applied to study ECM-cell interactions, in models encompassing vascular remodelling, immunity, inflammation and bone physiology, as well as the pathophysiology of cancer invasion. T3Net trainees will thus be at the forefront of current research, with innovative, complementary expertise in ECM remodelling and tissue transmigration in physiology and pathology. They will also benefit from valuable complementary skills training including communication, entrepreneurship and intellectual property rights. The strength and appeal of the T3Net proposal thus lies in the unique prospect to establish a long-term European network based on a new cohort of young professionals with the potential to exploit their knowledge in academic, clinical or industrial settings.