Project description
Breakthrough therapy for drug-resistant leukaemia
Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) is a devastating blood cancer that primarily affects children and adults, often leading to relapse despite intensive treatments. Current therapies can be highly toxic and are not always effective, leaving patients with few options and a poor prognosis. There is an urgent need for safer and more targeted treatments that can eliminate cancer cells without harming healthy tissues. A novel approach using T-cell receptors (TCRs) offers new hope in this fight. In this context, the ERC-funded TTT-therapy project aims to commercialise a TCR-based immunotherapy that targets leukaemia cells while sparing healthy ones. The therapy is now progressing towards clinical trials to help ALL patients with limited treatment options.
Objective
The aim of this PoC project is to commercialize new therapy for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) developed in context of my ERC consolidator grant. T-cell receptors (TCRs) have in recent years emerged as promising therapeutic molecules in cell- and gene-therapy of cancer. I have completed the pre-clinical validation of a TCR that recognizes an HLA-bound peptide from a novel target, the nuclear enzyme terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT-TCR). In vitro and in vivo data from four different mouse models show eradication of ALL and no indications of toxicity. T-cells genetically modified with the TdT-TCR effectively kill lymphoblastic cancer cells while sparing healthy B and T-cells, myeloid cells and hematopoietic stem cells. Funding has been secured for an investigator-initiated trial to determine safety and explore efficacy of TdT-TCR-T-cell therapy – TTT-therapy. The trial will recruit ALL patients relapsing from/refractory to standard therapy, who have a dismal prognosis and thus a great unmet medical need. To facilitate commercial development, I have created a start-up company and secured the company exclusive licenses for the patents on the TdT-TCR and the technology used for the development, on which I am the main inventor. In the proposed ERC PoC project, I and my strong team of advisers with expertise in the business development, clinical development, IPR and financial aspects needed for commercialization, will conduct a market analysis for TTT-therapy and develop an IPR and business strategy for the start-up company. Since several studies report expression of TdT in acute myeloid leukemia (AML), I will conduct laboratory research to determine if the TdT-TCR can also mediate killing of AML cells. AML patients have an overall 5-year survival of only 30% and hence a great medical need that potentially could be met by TTT-therapy. The described work has the potential to contribute to saving lives that would otherwise be lost to acute leukemia.
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.
- medical and health sciences clinical medicine oncology leukemia
- natural sciences biological sciences biochemistry biomolecules proteins enzymes
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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)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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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-2023-POC
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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.
0450 OSLO
Norway
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.