ERC Synergy 'MakingBlood': €9.9M Grant Toward Donor-Free Blood Therapies

We spoke with Anna Bigas, Group Leader at Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM) and Project Coordinator of MakingBlood, about the project’s vision, scientific challenges, and the collaboration with Catalyze towards the grant award.

Dr. Anna Bigas, Research Group Leader at IMIM, Deputy Director of Preclinical Research at Josep Carreras Leukaemia Research Institute.

MakingBlood is aiming to generate blood stem cells from pluripotent sources

For patients needing blood stem cell transplants, a compatible donor can mean the difference between life and death. But 25% of patients lack a match. The MakingBlood project, backed by a €9.9 million ERC Synergy Grant, aims to change that by creating a scalable, donor-free source of haematopoeitic stem cells (HSCs) using pluripotent stem cells. Launching in July 2025 for 72 months, the project unites experts from across Europe to push the boundaries of regenerative medicine.

A Collaborative Foundation

The MakingBlood consortium brings together four leading European institutions, combining stem cell biology, bioengineering, and hematology expertise to recreate the full developmental journey of blood stem cells in the lab, from generation to maturation to amplification.

“The focus is to produce blood stem cells and prepare the process to do it at a large scale so we could efficiently do it for therapy.”

Anna explains that MakingBlood was built on both existing and new collaborations.

“We were already working with one partner on preliminary projects that fed into the proposal. With the other partners, we hadn’t collaborated before, but we knew each other and were aligned on the goal. Initially, there were three of us, but we realized we needed bioengineering expertise, so we brought in Cecilia Sahlgren at Eindhoven University of Technology — it was a strong match.”

Completing the Making Blood consortium are Josep Carreras Leukaemia Research Institute (ES), Sanquin (NL), Brunel University (UK), Åbo Akademi University (FI), and Eindhoven University of Technology (NL).

A Modular Approach to a Complex Problem

The core ambition is to create a modular platform that mirrors the natural stages of blood stem cell development: generation, maturation, and amplification.

“In recent years, people have studied and tried generating (embryonic HSC) or maintaining blood stem cells (adult HSC), but these fields haven’t really interacted. We believe these three stages each need unique biological signals. That’s why the platform is modular: one part focuses on generation, another on maturation, and a third on amplification and maintenance, which is crucial.”

Addressing Gaps in Developmental Biology

A major knowledge gap lies in the fetal liver stage, a transitional period critical for blood stem cell maturation. Anna comments:

“These blood stem cells get generated in an area of the aorta in the embryo, then they move to the fetal liver — but it’s not clear what signals they get there. This is a big knowledge gap because it’s a crucial step. We know a lot about the last period in the bone marrow, but the fetal liver period has lots of gaps.”

She adds:

“We also know these cells aren’t homogeneous, they’re a mix of different types. To safely recreate this process for transplant, we need to understand that diversity.”

A European Effort with Global Potential

The team is energised as the project moves toward launch.

“There’s a lot of excitement. We can plan experiments we couldn’t before because of funding limitations. We’ll be working with very few cells, but with single-cell technologies — like RNA and chromatin analysis — we can explore what’s happening at a detailed level. We also want to integrate data from other labs to create a developmental map that guides our in vitro work.”

Anna highlights Europe’s competitive position in this field.

“There have been efforts from several labs in the U.S., Australia, but also in Europe. This is very good news for European science. European scientists can be now more competitive in this field. Not just the partners in our project, but also collaborators outside who are actively working in this subject and can help our project.”

Catalyze’s Strategic Role

The grant application was a significant challenge, met with support from Catalyze.

“We knew we needed specialised help. Our Dutch collaborator, Sanquin, recommended Catalyze, and it turned out to be a great choice. The process was well organised, and surprisingly, it was fun. Discussing ideas as a group was very different from writing an individual proposal.”

Beyond providing technical assistance, Catalyze helped to keep the team focused and organised. Anna recalls:

“Catalyze was really good at focusing our ideas, helping us get to the point, and letting go of things that were more superficial. It was actually a lot of fun, because it was very different from writing an individual proposal. We were discussing a lot of ideas, and it’s very different when you have the view of four people instead of thinking on your own.”

She also reflects on the importance of having an objective external perspective.

“Having somebody from the outside of the project, that can read it and give feedback, but at the same time is very involved in the project — that was very good too.”

On several months of collaboration

“There were several months of preparation with regular meetings, and of course, with someone from Catalyze organizing the meetings, we all knew ahead of time what we had to do. That kept us aligned and made it a priority.”

When the proposal advanced to the interview stage, Anna and the other project leaders opted to get Catalyze’s further support.

“We initially thought we’d prepare the interview ourselves, but then we asked Catalyze to help. They organized both an online session and an on-site mock interview in Barcelona, which was incredibly valuable.”

Advice for Future ERC Applicants

Anna offers clear guidance to others seeking ERC Synergy support.

“I’d recommend having help, it’s always good. And one key question is how to find your partners. You need collaborators who can change the final outcome of your ideas, technically or scientifically.”

The Future of MakingBlood

If successful, MakingBlood could redefine the treatment landscape, delivering a lab-grown blood supply for patients worldwide. The project showcases how cutting-edge science, cross-border collaboration, and expert support can drive breakthroughs with life-saving potential.