The outcome of the 2nd EvoMG Seed Grants Call was announced today. The main goal of these grants is to boost high-quality research on Evolutionary Medical Genomics. Given their nature as seed grants, their purpose is to provide funding to kick start projects and generate foundational data, with the aim of facilitating the development of larger and competitive applications in the near future.

This call is dedicated to support proposals for multidisciplinary biomedical research that integrate evolutionary and genomic approaches to understanding and/or tackling human disease (see "Research Areas").  The suggested project should involve at least one faculty member of the CRG, UPF-MELIS or IBE. In addition, other research groups, clinical/translational groups or companies are encouraged to join as collaborators.  

Seven proposals were submitted. They were assessed by an ad hoc Evaluation Committee: Manuel Irimia (chair, UPF-MELIS, CRG and EvoMG Program), Nuno Barbosa-Morais (GIMM, Lisbon), Noelia Fernández-Castillo (UB) and Elena Gomez-Diaz (Instituto de Parasitología y Biomedicina López Neyra, Granada).

The top ranked projects were:

1) "Earthworms as new model systems for studying cancer evolution: insights into cell division mechanisms & aneuploidy - EARTHWORMS4CANCER", led by Rosa Fernández. The project involves exploring the potential of earthworms as new model organisms for studying cancer evolution, focusing on characterizing their cell division processes. Given their high tolerance to genomic instability and the frequent presence of aneuploidy, we will investigate the underlying mechanisms of their cell division, including possible variations in mitotic spindle assembly and chromosome segregation. This study will provide relevant insights into chromosomal abnormalities in cancer evolution and generate preliminary data for future competitive funding applications.

2) "Prevalence, origins, and founder effects of the BRCA1 pathogenic variant c.68_69del in the Roma population (Roma_BRCA1)", led by David Comas. This project will study the presence of pathogenic BRCA1 variants in the Catalan Roma population, with the aim of determining whether there is a founder effect and providing genetic counseling to carriers and their families. Preliminary results indicate a high prevalence of the c.68_69del variant in this population, suggesting a possible common ancestry. To confirm this, a genotyping and haplotype analysis will be conducted on patient samples recruited in Badalona. This project combines population genomics and oncogenetics, in collaboration between researchers at UPF-IBE and ICO-IDIBELL, and aims to generate relevant data for future personalized health initiatives.

3) "Uncovering parallels between multicellular evolution and cancer formation and therapy resistance (EvoCancer)", led by Iñaki Ruiz-Trillo and Elena Casacuberta. The project will investigate the parallels between the evolution of multicellularity and the formation and therapeutic resistance of cancer. It proposes that the mechanisms enabling cancer cells to adapt and survive mirror evolutionary strategies found in unicellular organisms. To analyze this, the cellular and gene expression dynamics of basal cell carcinoma (BCC) in mouse models will be compared with the transition to multicellularity in the protist Capsaspora owczarzaki. The goal is to uncover fundamental mechanisms of tumor progression and therapy resistance, with potential implications for developing new treatments. 

4) "Experimental validation of genomic factors linked to cross-species lifespan (Lifespan_validation)", led by Arcadi Navarro and Laura Batlle. The project will experimentally validate genomic factors underlying cross-species differences in lifespan by testing ~10 candidate amino-acid changes in primate cell lines and iPSCs, focusing on phenotypes such as proliferation, senescence, apoptosis, and responses to stress. Building on preliminary results for BAD, MDM2, and XRCC5 that converge on the p53 pathway, the team will introduce long- and short-lived variants via overexpression and CRISPR to uncover conserved longevity mechanisms and potential therapeutic targets to extend healthy lifespan.