The CNIC receives two prestigious Marie Skłodowska-Curie grants for immunology and cardiovascular health research projects
The CNIC (Spanish National Centre for Cardiovascular Research) has been awarded two Marie Skłodowska-Curie Post-doctoral Fellowships within the Horizon Europe Programme. The funding will enable the development of ground-breaking research in immunology and cardiovascular health, with a significant impact on our understanding of immune and neurodegenerative diseases.
Dr Pablo Rodríguez Silvestre, postdoctoral researcher in the immunobiology group headed by Dr David Sancho, will receive a grant to undertake the project, FADIR (Dissecting the role of fatty acid oxidation in dendritic cell function and regulation of immune responses). His research will focus on the role of fatty acid oxidation in conventional dendritic cells and their influence on the regulation of immune response.
The study will use innovative murine models and an interdisciplinary approach to uncover the interconnections between the metabolism ad immunological function in different tissues, both in basal state and in diseases. The funding awarded is 194,074.56 euros and the duration of the grant is 24 months.
Dr Jennifer Monereo Sánchez, post-doctoral researcher with the Cardiovascular Imaging and Population Studies group led by Dr Valentín Fuster, will receive a grant to conduct the project BrainAtCardio (Brain health in Atherosclerosis and Cardiovascular risk in mid-life, a PESA-Brain project).
Her research will look into the relationship between cardiovascular health and Alzheimer’s disease at early stages, with a special emphasis on subclinical atherosclerosis and cardiovascular risk factors among middle aged people. Through the PESA-Brain study, this project will use advanced neuroimaging technologies, blood biomarkers and cognitive assessment to analyse the influence of cardiovascular health on cerebrovascular integrity and the first signs of Alzheimer’s. The funding awarded amounts to 194,074.56 euros over 24 months.
These Marie Skłodowska-Curie grants underscore CNIC’s commitment to excellence in biomedical research and consolidate its position as an international reference in the study of cardiovascular and immunological diseases. The funded projects not only contribute to advancing scientific knowledge but could also open up new routes for the prevention and treatment of diseases with a high impact on public health.
The European Commission will award a total 417 million Euros to 1696 post-doctoral researchers for their work at top-tier universities, research centres, public and private organisations in addition to small and medium enterprises.
Of the award winners, 43.8% are women, and the selected applicants represent almost 95 different nationalities who will work in 47 countries both in Europe and worldwide.
