Monitoring of human health and the prevention/treatment of (infectious) diseases strongly depend on accurate and efficient detection, identification and tracking of pathogens or biomarkers. Key features of such a diagnostic tool that enable this are speed, accuracy and availability at the point-of-care. Current molecular diagnostic solutions do not meet these requirements due to the fact that they often need to be performed in a centralized fashion. However, the incredible advances in CRISPR-Cas technology in recent years provide an opportunity to change this. By taking advantage of the innate specificity of CRISPR-Cas we have previously developed a highly sensitive and accurate proof-of-concept diagnostic tool with promising results. The potential for implementation is unfortunately impaired by the fact that the workflow comprises of multiple steps that increases hands-on time, room for human error and the undesirable implications this has. To mitigate this, we propose a solution that entails developing a novel approach based on a thermostable RNA polymerase that allows for the condensation of the current workflow into a shorter 1-step protocol. Once such a protocol has been developed, an assay will be developed for one of the causative pathogens of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Technical feasibility of the assay will be demonstrated, in collaboration with an academic hospital, by characterizing the developed assay on relevant clinical samples. This will provide insight into the real-life performance when compared to the current gold standard (PCR) as well as ease-of-use in a relevant context. Furthermore, the feasibility of the value proposition and potential for commercialization will be thoroughly assessed. Not only will this ERC-PoC project shed light on the potential for our improved CRISPR-Cas based diagnostic tool in the context of COPD, a sense of broad applicability in other human Point-of-Care diagnostics applications will be gained.

Plant species diversity is often associated with reduced disease risk. Yet, the scientific literature on diversity-disease relationships is unclear, showing conflicting relationships. This conflict highlights a major knowledge gap in our understanding of the mechanisms underpinning the diversity-disease relationships. Overcoming this gap is essential for transforming agricultural systems from monocultures that are sensitive to disease outbreaks to diverse cropping systems that are intrinsically resilient to pathogens. I aim to significantly advance our understanding of diversity-disease relationships in plants. I will transform our knowledge on belowground plant-pathogen interactions by integrating three advances from animal epidemiology. 1 Host quality Diversity in epidemiological traits has proven key to understanding disease dynamics in animals. I will systematically quantify such variation in plants and their consequences for disease risk. 2 Pathogen protection Microbes can protect animals from pathogen infection. I will investigate the role of symbiotic mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) in belowground pathogen protection in diverse plant communities. 3 Contact networks Pathogen transmission ultimately depends on contacts within the community. Plants are obviously sessile, but their root systems are not. By navigating the soil, they may interact with different neighbouring plants. I will examine how the nature of these root contact networks affects disease risk. I propose that plant traits are a bridging link between these epidemiological advances. I will use experimental and modelling approaches with a range of grassland species and three soil-borne fungal pathogens. I aim to transform our understanding of belowground plant-pathogen interactions in biodiverse systems with multiple pathogens, stimulate crossovers with phytopathology and animal epidemiology, and provide a knowledge base to design agricultural systems that are intrinsically resilient to pathogens.

Despite the increase in climate-induced migration studies, research on the topic seems to be a prerogative of researchers from the Global North focusing on case studies in the Global South. In particular, research on climate change, environment and human mobility is underrepresented in European cases, despite the increasing number of small scale disasters that displace communities in Europe every year. European countries are far from being immune to the effects of climate change and natural disasters and, just in the recent years, extreme weather events have displaced hundreds of thousands of people across Europe. Nonetheless, stories of environmental-induced mobility often remain undetected in the European context. HOME will contribute to address this geographical bias and it will adopt a political ecology approach to focus both on local experiences and practices of environmental changes and mobility in the European context, and on how they are nested in power dynamics that produce unequal distribution of climate change effects and shape im/mobility decision-making responses. On a societal level, this can better inform public policies and strengthening disaster risk and climate change adaptation governance. Portugal has been identified as an exploratory case-study with a focus on the effects of slow-onset events (e.g. sea level rise – SLR) and sudden-onset events (e.g. wildfires) on human im/mobility. The action will be conducted by the fellow Dr. Michele Dalla Fontana at the Environmental Policy Group at the Wageningen University (The Netherlands) under the supervision of Dr. Ingrid Boas, a renowned expert in the field of climate change-human mobility nexus. A secondment period of eight months is foreseen at the Institute of Social Sciences at the University of Lisbon (Portugal) under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Luisa Schmidt, who combines expertise in climate change adaptation and risks with a profound knowledge of the Portuguese context.

This Marie Skłodowska Curie Fellowship will allow a talented young researcher to pursue multidisciplinary research with an outstanding and internationally recognised group investigating plant-insect interactions. The Fellow will gain skills in a range of cutting-edge techniques for studying plant defences against herbivore attack whereas the Host group will benefit from the Fellows’ expertise in methods of behavioural assays not currently utilized in the group. The Fellow and the Host will address together the complexity of plant-insect interactions using a very innovative approach based on the hidden role played by Herbivore-Associated-Organisms (HAOs). In fact, insect herbivores often consist of a community themselves including bacteria, fungi, parasitic worms, parasitic wasps and viruses which may play an important role in the expression of the herbivore’s phenotype and consequently on interactions of the herbivore with its food plant. However, up to date, most of the studies investigating plant defences have considered insect herbivores as individual organisms, thus neglecting the role of HAOs. The Fellow and the Host propose to experimentally manipulate the HAO composition to evaluate the effects on induced plant defences from plant gene expression to wider community consequences. This project is expected to advance the state-of-the-art of plant-insect interactions putting Europe research in the forefront of the research topic. This fellowships is also ideal for reaching the researcher’s scientific and professional maturity, to build up long lasting collaborations and finally to establish his own group afterwards.

EQUIANFUN is a strategic research and training alliance I have assembled to catalyse the development of my new career path in comparative herbivore gut microbiology, and addresses a major nutritional challenge facing the equine community. The hindgut microbiota of equines enables forage utilisation; however, the limited efficiency of this process currently requires that the diets of many equines are supplemented with energy-dense concentrates in order to meet their dietary energy requirements. This practice can disturb the equine hindgut microbiota, resulting in the development of gut-mediated diseases which are a major health and welfare issue and economic cost to the equine community. Despite the fact that anaerobic fungi (AF) are the most effective of the fibre-degrading gut microbes, they have been largely overlooked in equine gut microbiology studies to date. Therefore research into this under-explored area will significantly advance the ability to increase the efficiency of forage utilisation in equines, minimising the need for concentrate supplements. Drawing on my core skills base, and utilising internationally leading expertise and facilities in gut microbiomics and animal nutrition at Wageningen University, EQUIANFUN establishes new baseline knowledge of the phylogeny, community structure, physiology and nutritional impact of equine hindgut AF. In addition to generating top quality research findings of applied impact, EQUIANFUN deepens my skills and competencies whilst broadening my research expertise and network beyond its current rumen focus. Furthermore the integrated role of the two partner organisations, Utrecht University and the Donkey Sanctuary, widens the scope of EQUIANFUN to also include the health and welfare of all domesticated equids. In summary, EQUIANFUN is pivotal to the development of my new career path and ability to attain professional maturity as an internationally leading researcher in comparative herbivore gut microbiology.