Project description
Targeting tumour vasculature for enhanced immunotherapy
Blood vessels in tumours not only provide nutrients and oxygen but also regulate the movement and activation of immune cells. The interface is crucial because it controls how immune cells, such as T-cells, are recruited to and activated within the tumour environment. The ERC-funded VASC-IMMUNE project seeks to optimise vascular-immune interactions for better immunotherapy since despite advances, many patients still do not benefit. The research team will develop tumour-targeting adeno-associated virus vectors to induce immune hubs around tumour blood vessels, enhancing immune responses. By combining expertise in vascular biology, tumor immunology, and gene therapy, the project aims to make groundbreaking advancements in cancer treatment.
Objective
In this ERC Synergy Grant, we will characterize the vascular-immune interface in melanoma and glioblastoma and explore the perivascular niche as a site for local anti-tumor immune activation.
Cancer immunotherapy has made tremendous progress in the last two decades, but a vast majority of cancer patients do not benefit from this progress yet. Refinement of established immunotherapies will undoubtedly increase response rates. However, conceptually brave new therapies must be developed to make additional breakthroughs.
The tumor vasculature plays a key role in orchestrating anti-tumor immunity by regulating recruitment and activation of T-cell and other immune cells. We propose to make a detailed characterization of vascular immune landscapes in melanoma and glioblastoma and to utilize this to optimize vascular-immune crosstalk and immune response as a new breakthrough immunotherapy.
This proposal builds upon new knowledge on how immune hubs can form around tumor vasculature, which to a large part is based upon novel findings and development by the applicants (1, 2) on the importance of perivascular antigen-presenting niches in activating, sustaining, and executing CD8 and CD4 T-cell-mediated immune attacks on cancer. We will develop tumor vessel targeting AAV vectors that can enable therapeutic induction of immune hubs in cancer. This new form of immunotherapy will be evaluated alone and in combination with established cancer immunotherapies.
Combined, our research teams are in a unique position to achieve this goal. Synergistic advancements will be obtained by joining Dimberg’s expertise in the vascular and immune microenvironment in tumors (especially glioblastoma); Tüting’s expertise in tumor immunology and cell plasticity (especially melanoma); and Essand’s expertise in translational gene therapy and cancer immunotherapy. The project is timely, and if successful can bring immunotherapy to the next level, rendering new hope to millions of cancer patients.
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.
This project's classification has been human-validated.
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.
This project's classification has been human-validated.
Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
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)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
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.
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-SYG - HORIZON ERC Synergy 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-2024-SyG
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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.
751 05 Uppsala
Sweden
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.