“SEMICYCLE” the project conceived by Serena Sanna, of the Institute of genetic and biomedical research (Irgb) of the National Research Council of Cagliari, was funded under the Starting Grants 2022 program of the European Research Council (ERC) for a total of 1.5 million euros. The project is aimed at understanding the interactions between female sex hormones and the microbiota for an efficient personalized medicine in cardiometabolic disorders in women: in particular, it responds to the need to improve knowledge on the biological mechanisms responsible for these pathologies, which today represent one of the leading causes of female mortality.
In addition to the Cnr-Irgb research group (formed by the coordinator Serena Sanna, researchers Fabio Busonero, Francesca Crobu, Andrea Maschio, and two other researchers who will be recruited specifically for the project), staff from the Burlo-Garofolo Hospital in Trieste and of the Groningen Microbiome Center of the University of Groningen, in the Netherlands will also collaborate on the project.
The ERC Starting Grant funding is highly competitive and aimed at excellent young scientists to enable them to realize revolutionary and ambitious ideas on topics of high relevance. In the Starting Grants 2022 round, out of 2932 proposals received, 408 projects were funded, of which only 27 were in Italian institutions.
CNR press release in Italian:
https://www.cnr.it/it/nota-stampa/n-11524/erc-starting-grants-2022-premiato-un-progetto-cnr-irgb