LISCO launches SPACE-MEL: a €5.5M European doctoral network to train the next generation of spatial biologists in melanoma

• €5.5 million EU funding to train a new generation of spatial biology scientists 
• Training the first generation of scientists with an end-to-end spatial biology skillset
• Application in melanoma, including rare subtypes with limited clinical evidence

Selected under the highly competitive Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Doctoral Networks program, SPACE-MEL is among 141 projects funded out of 1,616 proposals submitted in 2025. The consortium, coordinated by LISCO and uniting leading academic institutions, clinical centers and industry partners across Europe and beyond, will receive approximately €5.5 million to train 15 doctoral candidates through an integrated program spanning spatial imaging, molecular biology, computational biology, pathology and biomarker discovery, with a focused application in melanoma.

From personal experience to a new generation of leaders

The Marie Skłodowska-Curie Doctoral Networks programme, part of the EU’s Horizon Europe framework, is the European Union’s flagship initiative for training doctoral researchers through international mobility, interdisciplinary collaboration and exposure to industry. 
For Prof. Francesca Maria Bosisio, MD, PhD, Co-Founder of LISCO, Lead Pathologist at LISCO’s Spatial Proteomics unit and coordinator of the consortium, the program is more than a funding mechanism: it shaped her own scientific trajectory and, ultimately, led to the creation of SPACE-MEL.

“As a former Marie Skłodowska-Curie fellow myself,” commented Prof. Bosisio, “I experienced firsthand how international mobility, interdisciplinary training and exposure to industry can build a scientific leader. These European actions invest in people, and those people go on to drive innovation. Now, with SPACE-MEL, I have the opportunity to give the next generation the same experience that shaped my career, and to do so within the unique environment that LISCO has built. Our goal is to train not just skilled scientists, but future leaders in spatial biology.”

Spatial biology in full: LISCO’s philosophy at work

Spatial technologies are transforming our ability to map cellular heterogeneity, interactions and functional states within tissues with unprecedented molecular precision. Yet realizing their clinical potential requires expertise that integrates experimental, computational and clinical domains, a challenge that demands not specialization alone, but true interdisciplinarity. This is precisely the environment that LISCO has cultivated: an institute where spatial biology research, clinical application and technology development converge under one roof. SPACE-MEL is a direct expression of that philosophy. 
The program equips doctoral candidates to connect technologies, data and clinical questions, interpret complex datasets and maximize biological insights, and translate these into meaningful clinical applications, training the first generation of scientists with a true end-to-end skillset in spatial biology. 

“Spatial biology requires expertise across multiple domains, from wet lab and pathology to bioinformatics and technology development,” said Prof. Bosisio. “With SPACE-MEL, we aim to train scientists who can navigate this full spectrum and translate these technologies into real impact for patients.”

A European ecosystem built on the LISCO model

SPACE-MEL is also built to reflect the integrated ecosystem that is the backbone of LISCO. Just as LISCO has demonstrated that connecting academic research, clinical practice and technology development within a single institute accelerates both scientific discovery and patient impact, SPACE-MEL scales this model to a European level, creating the conditions for the same integration to take root across a new generation of researchers and institutions. 

By bringing together leading universities, hospitals, data science groups and industry partners, the network spans the full spatial biology value chain, from technology innovation and data generation to clinical interpretation and application. This integrated structure ensures that scientific discovery, technology development and clinical needs are addressed in parallel, with doctoral candidates gaining hands-on exposure to real-world challenges across all sectors. 

LISCO’s success in fostering this kind of cross-sector collaboration is precisely what SPACE-MEL aims to replicate, not just as a training model, but as a template for the next generation of integrative spatial biology research in Europe. For partners across the consortium, this defining ambition makes SPACE-MEL more than a doctoral programme: it is an investment in a new way of doing science.

Intelligent Biodata, a Spanish partner in the consortium, brings expertise in computational biology and AI to the network.

“For Intelligent Biodata, SPACE-MEL represents a unique opportunity to contribute to the next generation of spatial biology tools and talent. We are at a moment where advances in AI, and especially in generative AI, can help unlock new impact in biomedical research by making complex multimodal data easier to query, interpret and connect to clinical questions. Our role in SPACE-MEL is to bring expertise in computational biology, machine learning, generative AI and user-oriented biomedical software development, helping doctoral candidates and end users move from high-dimensional spatial data to actionable insight in melanoma and precision medicine,” said Dr. Jon Pey Pérez, Founder and CEO of Intelligent Biodata.

A focused application in melanoma

SPACE-MEL will focus on melanoma, including mucosal melanoma, a rare and understudied subtype, as well as early-stage disease where predicting progression remains a major challenge. The project is closely connected to the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) melanoma group, ensuring alignment with clinical research priorities. 

“Mucosal melanoma (MM) is a rare, highly aggressive malignancy with peculiar molecular features compared to cutaneous melanoma. Mucosal melanoma also responds much less to immunotherapy and targeted therapy. The most critical unmet need is identifying reliable predictive and prognostic biomarkers for immunotherapy and targeted therapies to overcome frequent primary and secondary treatment resistance, as well as new actionable targets,” said Prof. Mario Mandalà, Chair of the EORTC melanoma group.

About SPACE-MEL

SPACE-MEL is a European doctoral training network funded under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Doctoral Networks program. It trains 15 doctoral candidates in spatial single-cell omics to support the translation of these technologies into clinical practice, with a focus on melanoma.
Participating organizations include:
KATHOLIEKE UNIVERSITEIT LEUVEN (BE) – Coordinator
ERASMUS UNIVERSITAIR MEDISCH CENTRUM ROTTERDAM (NL) – Partner
UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI FIRENZE (IT) – Partner
NARODOWY INSTYTUT ONKOLOGII IM. MARII SKLODOWSKIEJ (PL) – Partner
UNIVERSITAT ZURICH (CH) – Partner
THE UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER (UK) – Partner
UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI PERUGIA (IT) – Partner
ASPECT ANALYTICS (BE) – Partner
Intelligent Biodata SL (ES) – Partner
UNIVERSIDAD DE NAVARRA (ES) – Associated
ACCELOPMENT SCHWEIZ AG (CH) – Associated
Alpenglow Biosciences, Inc. (US) – Associated
AtlasXomics, Inc. (US) – Associated
BIOLIZARD NV (BE) – Associated
DIATECH PHARMACOGENETICS SOCIETA A RESPONSABILITA LIMITATA (IT) – Associated
Lunaphore Technologies SA (CH) – Associated
SANOFI-AVENTIS RECHERCHE & DEVELOPPEMENT (FR) – Associated
SKYLINEDX B.V. (NL) – Associated
Spotlight Pathology Ltd. (UK) – Associated
Stellaromics, Inc. (US) – Associated

About the coordinator

The KU Leuven Institute for Single Cell Omics (LISCO) is a multidisciplinary research institute that integrates advanced omics technologies, computational analysis and clinical expertise to better understand human biology and disease. By bridging fundamental research and clinical application, LISCO supports the development of data-driven approaches for improved diagnosis and treatment.
https://lisco.kuleuven.be