Skip to main content
CORDIS - Forschungsergebnisse der EU
CORDIS
CORDIS Web 30th anniversary CORDIS Web 30th anniversary

Protease‐guided tumor targeting tools to revolutionize cancer diagnosis and treatment.

Projektbeschreibung

Innovative Diagnose- und Behandlungsinstrumente dienen gezielter Tumorbekämpfung

Proteasen sind in der Tumormikroumgebung oft stark überexprimiert, wobei ihre aktiven Stellen die hochaffine Bindung an Vektoren gestatten. Diese Tatsache lässt die Proteasen als ideale Kandidaten für eine gezielte Tumorbekämpfung erscheinen. Bei den neuesten Innovationen kommen Vektoren mit kleinen Molekülen zum Einsatz, die auf die Proteasen der Tumormikroumgebung abzielen. Das durch die Marie-Skłodowska-Curie-Maßnahmen finanzierte Projekt OncoProTools vorfolgt das Ziel eines Durchbruchs in der Krebsdiagnose und -therapie, indem es innovative Ansätze für die gezielte Proteasemodifizierung in der CAR-T-Zelltherapie entwickelt, nach neuen Vektoren fahndet, die mehr Proteasen der Tumormikroumgebung binden, und innovative Diagnostika einführt, die auf einem besseren Verständnis der Biologie der Tumormikroumgebung beruhen. Zudem wird OncoProTools zehn Doktorandinnen und Doktoranden weiterbilden und ihnen jene Fähigkeiten vermitteln, mit denen sie zu Führungspersönlichkeiten in der Krebsforschung werden können.

Ziel

Europe has a high cancer burden: in 2020, 2.7 million EU citizens were diagnosed with the disease and 1.3 million lost their lives to it. This toll is expected to increase further, mainly because Europe's population is ageing: by 2035, cancer will be the leading cause of death in the EU. In 2021, the EC published its ‘Europe's Beating Cancer Plan’ (EBCP), calling for a big push in cancer research. Cancer diagnostics and therapeutics should rapidly become more effective and selective, patient-friendly and personalized.

All these goals are directly addressed by developing better tumor targeting strategies. Typically, they consist of equipping diagnostics and therapeutics with a vector unit. The vector unit binds to a protein that is overexpressed on cancer cells or in the Tumor Micro-Environment (TME), causing the diagnostic or therapeutic payload to accumulate in the tumor. Over the last decades, huge effort has gone in approaches that use antibodies as vectors, but return-on-investment has overall been rather poor. Exciting, recent innovations rely on small molecule vectors that target TME proteases. Proteases are ideal candidates for tumor targeting: they are often strongly overexpressed in the TME and possess an active site that allows high-affinity anchoring of vectors. Members of this consortium have played a leading role in these developments.

OncoProTools wants to force breakthroughs in cancer diagnosis and therapy by:
1) Exploring innovative venues for protease targeting in CAR T cell therapy.
2) Discovering novel vectors that bind to other TME proteases: cathepsins S, B, L and granzyme B
3) Personalize applications of protease targeting: deliver innovative diagnostics through deeper understanding of TME biology.

At the same time, OncoProTools will deliver a training program that truly captures the MSCA values, to 10 Doctoral Candidates. They will be provided with all capabilities to become leaders of tomorrow's R&I in Europe.

Koordinator

UNIVERSITEIT ANTWERPEN
Netto-EU-Beitrag
€ 525 240,00
Adresse
PRINSSTRAAT 13
2000 Antwerpen
Belgien

Auf der Karte ansehen

Region
Vlaams Gewest Prov. Antwerpen Arr. Antwerpen
Aktivitätstyp
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
Links
Gesamtkosten
Keine Daten

Beteiligte (7)

Partner (13)