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Virus-Inspired Colorectal Cancer Treatment through an Orally Administered Vaccine

Project description

An oral vaccine against colorectal cancer

Cancer vaccines harness the body’s immune system to recognise and attack cancer cells. They can be preventive or therapeutic after the cancer has developed. Cancer vaccines are emerging as a promising solution for ‘cold’ colorectal cancer (CRC) with a low number of infiltrating immune cells and less responsiveness to immunotherapies such as immune checkpoint inhibitors. The ERC-funded VICTORY project aims to advance an oral vaccine that uses nanovesicles to trigger localised anti-cancer immunity. The goal is to improve immune cell infiltration and enhance immunotherapy response while minimising side effects and improving patient adherence. The project will explore both the technical and commercial potential of this vaccine, addressing a major unmet need in advanced CRC treatment.

Objective

"Colorectal cancer (CRC), which includes cancers of the colon and rectum, represents a significant global health challenge as the third most commonly diagnosed and second most fatal cancer worldwide. It also places a substantial burden on European patients and healthcare systems. While standard treatments are available, they face significant limitations, especially in managing advanced CRC, often leading to poor patient outcomes and severely compromised quality of life. Emerging immunotherapies like immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) and adoptive cell therapies show promise but face major obstacles, including high costs, side effects, lack of tumor targeting, and, most critically, they fail to treat ""cold"" CRC tumors with low or absent pre-existing anti-cancer immunity. Prof. Shi and his team have developed an innovative oral cancer vaccine to transform these “cold” CRC tumors into “hot” tumors by provoking potent cellular and humoral anti-cancer immunity. The vaccine will achieve this through its acid-stable nanovesicle structure to induce potent and intestine-localized anti-cancer immunity with reduced systemic side effects and improved patient compliance. This project aims to explore the technical and commercial potential of the vaccine platform."

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Topic(s)

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HORIZON-ERC-POC - HORIZON ERC Proof of Concept Grants

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Call for proposal

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(opens in new window) ERC-2024-POC

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Host institution

UNIVERSITAETSKLINIKUM AACHEN
Net EU contribution

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.

€ 150 000,00
Address
Pauwelsstrasse 30
52074 Aachen
Germany

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Region
Nordrhein-Westfalen Köln Städteregion Aachen
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
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Total cost

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.

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Beneficiaries (1)

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