Project description
Innovative platform controlling engineered bacteria in tumour therapy
Certain bacteria can target tumours and deliver therapeutic agents directly, offering a promising approach to cancer treatment. However, current engineered bacterial therapies lack precise control over timing and dosage, limiting their safety and effectiveness. The ERC-funded BACTOCONTROL project will develop a synthetic receptor platform to enhance control over engineered bacteria in cancer therapy. Researchers will use E. coli Nissle 1917, a probiotic strain with tumour-targeting properties, to test synthetic receptor responses in a 3D tumour spheroid model. In the second phase, the study will assess gene expression and therapeutic release in a tumour mouse model using cytolytic and immunotherapeutic agents. The findings could pave the way for reliable bacterial cancer therapies.
Objective
Engineered microbes are attractive platforms for the diagnosis and treatment of several diseases. For example, bacteria can selectively target tumors and are ideal vehicles for in situ delivery of therapeutic agents.
However, as of today, no engineered living bacterial therapeutics in clinical trials have the ability for conditional control of therapeutic activity. This lack of reliable control over the timing and dosage of effector molecule production limits the specificity, safety, and efficacy of current bacterial therapies.
In this project, I will use of a generalizable synthetic receptor platform to control the in vivo therapeutic activity of engineered bacteria using an externally administered molecules. As a proof of concept, I will use a receptor responding to a molecule found in the diet to control therapeutic release in tumors. I will use a safe probiotic, E. coli Nissle 1917, with demonstrated tumor targeting properties.
In a first research line, I will characterize the dose-response and kinetics of synthetic receptors implemented in bacteria colonizing an in vitro 3D tumor spheroids model. I will then evaluate the therapeutic activity of strains producing cytolytic molecules in response to external inducer.
In a second research line, I will characterize conditional control of gene expression and then therapeutic release in tumor mice model, using cytolytic and immunotherapeutic effectors.
My work will deliver robust, safe, and efficient frameworks for conditional control of bacterial cancer therapy. By enabling in situ drug delivery with a highly-precise dosage and timing, it will allow physicians and ultimately the patients to finely control bacterial therapeutic activity.
Because of its modularity my platform will be further engineerable to detect other conditional inducers. This system will be reusable for the treatment of many other pathologies, including autoimmune and infectious diseases.
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.
- natural sciences biological sciences microbiology bacteriology
- medical and health sciences health sciences nutrition
- medical and health sciences clinical medicine oncology
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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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Topic(s)
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Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
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.
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-POC - HORIZON ERC Proof of Concept Grants
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2022-POC2
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
75654 PARIS
France
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.