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The CRG and the CNAG have been awarded one of the ERC Synergy Grants

By 18 de December de 2013November 18th, 2020No Comments
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 18.12.2013

The CRG and the CNAG have been awarded one of the ERC Synergy Grants

The Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG) and the Centro Nacional de Análisis Genómico (CNAG) –based in the Parc Científic de Barcelona– have been awarded one of prestigious 'ERC Synergy Grants' for their joint project "4D-genome: Dynamics of human genome architecture in stable and temporal changes in gene expression". This project aims to address the 3D structure of the human genome and its role in gene expression from various different points of view.


The 5-year project has been awarded 12.2 million euros to be distributed among the four participating research groups by Miguel Beato (CRG), Guillaume Filion (CRG), Thomas Graf (CRG and ICREA research professor) and Marc A. Marti-Renom (CNAG-CRG and ICREA research professor). The main advantage of this type of support is the total independence that it gives to researchers, covering the direct costs of the project and a portion of the indirect costs.

The genome is not only a group of letters

The classic way of studying the genome as a linear text is being displaced by the new dynamic and complex vision of the organisation in the nucleus. We now know that a gene’s location in space modulates the expression of the genome, although we still are unable to explain what the relationship is for establishing and maintaining this interaction. To address this issue, the 4D-Genome project brings together a variety of research groups that study the genome from different angles.

The group of Marc A. Marti-Renom (CNAG-CRG), expert in 3D genome modelling, along with the group led by Guillaume Filion (CRG), expert in interactions and response to genetic alterations from a statistical-mathematical point of view, will provide the theoretical framework for studying the 3D structure of the genome in time and space. “Barcelona has the technological capacity to carry out this project under the coordination of the CRG, with the essential participation of the CNAG and in collaboration with the BSC and ICFO”, indicates Marc A. Marti-Renom, the CNAG-CRG group leader who is responsible for integrating the genomic data produced by the CRG.

In the long term, the researchers hope to produce a three-dimensional map of the properties of the genome and its expression that will allow us to better understand how the genome responds to external changes and manages to control gene expression. Both aspects are enormously important and have repercussions for human health.

Attracting European funds strengthens the science of excellence

The ‘ERC Synergy Grants’ call is addressed at scientific projects carried out by different interdisciplinary groups of researchers tackling issues at the forefront of knowledge, new areas of research, and novel methods and techniques. The call aims to reward proposals that demonstrate synergies, with complementary aspects and which contain added value to enable progress that would be impossible for researchers working individually.

In particular, the project we are presenting today has a grant of 12.2 million euros to be distributed among the four participating research groups over 5 years.