Description du projet
Des lymphocytes NK de synthèse contre le cancer
Les tumeurs ont développé des mécanismes leur permettant d’échapper aux réponses du système immunitaire, notamment l’épuisement des lymphocytes T. Pour remédier à ce problème, les scientifiques ont imaginé des stratégies d’immunothérapie censées réveiller ou rééduquer le système immunitaire contre le cancer. Les cellules tueuses naturelles (NK) à récepteur antigénique chimérique (CAR) sont génétiquement modifiées pour reconnaître un antigène cible spécifique. Malgré leur énorme potentiel, la production de lymphocytes CAR-NK est laborieuse et coûteuse. Le projet CHEMCELL, financé par le CER, entend remédier à cette limitation par une approche innovante de marquage et d’ingénierie. Les chercheurs produiront des cellules NK modifiées par des anticorps et les testeront contre des lymphocytes CAR-NK conventionnels pour évaluer leur efficacité anticancéreuse.
Objectif
Our immune system evolved to protect our bodies from different invaders and to fight against infections and diseases. Immune cells use sophisticated ways to detect and destroy abnormal cells, while sparing our own cells. Unluckily, cancer cells often develop sneaky tricks enabling them to evade this protecting machinery and to survive and proliferate. Immunotherapy, an emerging concept of treatment, aims to employ the power of immune system to fight cancer by boosting or reeducation of immune cells. One of the approaches, the adoptive cell transfer therapy, especially in the form of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) cells, has shown an unprecedented success in the treatment of certain types of cancer. CAR cells are genetically modified immune cells engineered to recognize and kill cells with specific cancer antigen. Unfortunately, production of genetically modified CARs is problematic, inefficient, time consuming and therefore, associated with high costs. New approaches enabling production of modified immune cells more effectively, faster and cheaper could therefore change the way the therapy is used. Within this proposal, we will explore the potential of an innovative approach for production of chemically engineered immune cells and their application in immunotherapy. In particular, we will employ our technology based on combination of metabolic engineering and subsequent biocompatible chemical labeling to produce an antibody modified natural killer (NK) cells that we will investigate in cancer killing experiments. We will perform a side-by-side comparison of our technology with the ‘traditional’ CAR-NK cells both, in vitro and in vivo, to evaluate the pros and cons of both approaches. Finally, in collaboration with our Tech Transfer Office, we will present the technology to potential stakeholders to bring it to the next step in the form of patent licensing or eventually, develop the technology further within spin-out company.
Champ scientifique
Programme(s)
- HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC) Main Programme
Régime de financement
HORIZON-AG-LS - HORIZON Lump Sum GrantInstitution d’accueil
16610 Praha 6
Tchéquie