Project description
Non-invasive solution for TLS research, detection and destruction
Tertiary lymphoid structures (TLS) are ectopic lymphoid tissues that facilitate immune responses in chronic inflammation. There is increased interest in TLS due to their role in infections, cancer, and autoimmune diseases. However, their small size and presence in altered tissues challenge selective targeting and imaging, limiting our understanding of them. The ERC-funded MAGMA project will develop innovative methods for mapping and destroying TLS in a non-invasive manner. The project will develop novel formulations of injectable superparamagnetic particles targeted to TLS. Furthermore, it will develop and combine contrast agent design and material chemistry to improve targeting efficiency, allowing for non-invasive detection and the possibility of thermal destruction of TLS.
Objective
Tertiary lymphoid structures (TLS) are ectopic lymphoid tissues that drive immune responses at sites of chronic inflammation. They are of widespread interest in biology and medicine since their presence dramatically influences disease course in autoimmune disorders, infection, and cancer. However, due to their small size and their development in chronically altered tissues, TLS cannot be selectively targeted or detected by imaging. The current project aims at developing new methods to map and eventually destroy the TLS in a non-invasive manner. To this aim, a new formulation of injectable superparamagnetic particles will be produced and targeted to the TLS. A set of innovations in contrast agent design and material chemistry will be developed to dramatically increase targeting efficiency compared to existing methods. By combining these innovations, intravenously injected superparamagnetic particles will accumulate in TLS in large numbers, thereby allowing their non-invasive detection by clinically available imaging modalities (magnetic resonance imaging) and emerging technologies (magnetic particle imaging). This will also open the possibility of thermal destruction of TLS using magnetic hyperthermia, providing a way to suppress a local immune response without affecting systemic immunity. The scientific advances and technologies of the MAGMA project will have clinically relevant applications, such as diagnosis of chronic inflammation, selection of patients for treatment with immune checkpoint inhibitors in cancer and spatially selective suppression of immunity in autoimmune diseases.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
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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)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
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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.
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Call for proposal
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(opens in new window) ERC-2024-COG
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14032 Caen Cedex 5
France
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