Project description
Tipping the balance in immunotherapy through inflammatory gene control
Pancreatic cancer is an incurable disease, and researchers suspect that this is due to aberrant inflammation sustaining the tumour. One way to improve available treatment tools lies in enhancing cytotoxicity and reducing regeneration that take place during inflammation. With this in mind, the ERC-funde MEFHISTO project will focus on understanding the role of tumour-associated macrophages (TAMs) in orchestrating the balance between these two conflicting processes. The project will combine functional experiments with preclinical models to shed light on a newly described molecular pathway that specifically controls inflammation in TAMs. Through its efforts, MEFHISTO seeks to provide invaluable insights for immunotherapy.
Objective
Inflammation is a complex spectrum of processes whose outcomes range from cell killing to tissue regeneration. In this context, a major goal in immune oncology is the development of treatments that stimulate cytotoxic immunity while limiting repair in the tumor microenvironment (TME), as these approaches have the potential to synergize with available immunotherapies and provide benefit to otherwise resistant patients. Pancreatic cancer is a largely incurable disease, in which aberrant inflammation and profound immune suppression conspire to sustain disease initiation, progression, and immune escape. Accumulating evidence supports the view that tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) are key orchestrators of the balance between cytotoxicity and regeneration, and thus represent promising therapeutic targets in pancreatic cancer. In MEFHISTO, we aim at elucidating the molecular control, the functional implications, and the therapeutic potential of the PGE2-MEF2A axis, a newly described pathway enabling selective control of inflammatory gene expression in macrophages. By combining advanced genomic analyses in human samples, functional experiments in preclinical models, and mechanistic studies in key cell types, this Proposal will expand our knowledge of the organizing principles of innate immune responses in tumors. The ensuing results may lead to novel combinatorial treatments for diseases, such as pancreatic cancer, that are refractory to immunotherapy.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
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Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
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Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-ERC - HORIZON ERC Grants
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Call for proposal
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Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2022-COG
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20132 Milano
Italy
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