Description du projet
Une niche artificielle pour l’éducation des lymphocytes T anti-tumoraux
Au fil des ans, un certain nombre d’approches immunothérapeutiques ont été développées pour traiter le cancer, notamment les inhibiteurs de points de contrôle immunitaire et les lymphocytes T modifiés. Malgré leur excellente efficacité contre les hémopathies malignes, leur impact thérapeutique sur les tumeurs solides s’est avéré limité. Les travaux du projet INCITE, financé par l’UE, reposent sur l’hypothèse selon laquelle l’échec clinique de l’immunothérapie est dû au fait que nous n’éduquions pas le bon type de lymphocytes T anti-tumoraux. Les scientifiques du projet INCITE vont donc concevoir une niche immunitaire fonctionnelle pour la sélection et l’expansion des lymphocytes T qui combattent les tumeurs. Produire les lymphocytes T anti-tumoraux les plus aptes pour la thérapie adoptive améliorera considérablement le traitement du cancer.
Objectif
Cancer is rapidly becoming the most frequent cause of morbidity and mortality in the EU, accounting for a quarter of all deaths in EU. Without breakthroughs in treatment, cancer is likely to remain one of the biggest killers in the 21st century. Immunotherapy of cancer by checkpoint inhibitors, vaccines or adoptive T cell therapy is coming of age and has the potential to cure cancer, but is still hampered by some major limitations. For instance, Adoptive Cell Therapy (ACT) with unmanipulated or engineered T cells (TCR-transgenic and CAR-T cells) has indeed demonstrated success in the treatment of patients affected by leukemias, but is much less effective against lymphomas and solid tumors. One likely explanation is that we do not educate the right type of anti-tumor T cells. The T cells considered to be the gold standard for tumor therapy have stem cell memory features, but the proper and safe way to generate these fit T cells for clinical purposes is still an unresolved matter. Here we propose an advanced transformative technology termed INCITE, utilizing a novel high-resolution 3D microfabrication technology to engineer a specially tailored microenvironment that will be inhabited by cells central for T cells education in order to generate the fittest anti-tumor T cells for advanced adoptive T cell therapy. INCITE will bring together a transdisciplinary consortium capable of developing this innovative platform by combining state-of-the-art 3D printing, computer modeling, bioengineering, bioinformatics, immunology, developmental and cancer biology approaches, toward the development of a functional immune niche for selection and expansion of tumor-rejecting T cells. The INCITE platform will revolutionize the treatment of cancer patients with ACT, with a profound impact on the quality of life and well-being of millions of people.
Champ scientifique
- medical and health sciencesmedical biotechnologycells technologiesstem cells
- medical and health sciencesbasic medicinepharmacology and pharmacypharmaceutical drugsvaccines
- medical and health sciencesbasic medicineimmunologyimmunotherapy
- engineering and technologymechanical engineeringmanufacturing engineeringadditive manufacturing
- medical and health sciencesclinical medicineoncologyleukemia
Programme(s)
Régime de financement
RIA - Research and Innovation actionCoordinateur
7491 Trondheim
Norvège