Jean-Christophe Leroux gets an ERC Advanced Grant 2020
- D-CHAB
- IPW
- Highlights
In the latest call for proposals of the European Research Council (ERC), two projects of ETH Zurich were awarded with the prestigious ERC Advanced Grant. One of the awardees is Professor Jean-Christophe Leroux (IPW). For his project in the field of gene therapy, he will receive 2.58 million Swiss francs.
The laboratories at the Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences are empty in those times, but the research is not in full hibernation. Researchers keep planning their research to be able to take off once the lockdown is over. And having already successfully secured funding like the prestigious ERC Advanced grant is highly motivational. At ETZ Zurich, Professor Julia Vorholt (D-BIOL) and Professor Jean-Christophe Leroux from the Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, have been successful in getting one of these grants this year.
Jean-Christophe Leroux is a professor of Drug Formulation and Delivery at the Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences. His research group is interested in improving the efficacy of drugs and reducing their side effects. One focus is gene therapy that introduces genetic material into cells to compensate for malfunctioning genes or provide new functions. The approach has the potential to treat and even cure a variety of pathologies such as cancer and some rare diseases. However, it is often inefficient, and only a few gene therapy products have been approved so far. This is partly due to different retention mechanisms, which sequester or degrade intruding genetic material inside the cell. In his ERC project, Leroux aims at finding ways to suppress these cellular defence systems. Circumventing this barrier could make modern gene therapy safer and more effective .
About the ERC Advanced Grant
The European Research Council (ERC) has selected a total of 185 projects in this round for the ERC Advanced Grant 2020. 16 Grants go to researchers from Swiss research institutions. The Advanced Grants are awarded as part of the Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme.