Project description
Liquid biopsy that captures cancer complexity
The tumour microenvironment plays a central role in cancer development, progression and treatment resistance. Tracking how both tumours and their surrounding ecosystem co-evolve during treatment is essential for personalising cancer therapy. However, liquid biopsies capture only tumour-specific changes. To address this limitation, the ERC-funded EVOLVE project builds on an innovative RNA-profiling platform capable of distinguishing tumour-specific molecular signals from broader changes arising in the microenvironment. By analysing RNA carried in tiny membrane-bound vesicles shed into the bloodstream, researchers will decode how tumours and their surrounding immune and stromal ecosystems adapt to treatment. These insights will enable more accurate disease monitoring and guide the development of personalised therapeutic strategies for cancer patients.
Objective
Cancer progression and drug resistance are driven not only by tumor-intrinsic factors but also by complex interactions between tumor cells and their evolving microenvironment. Understanding the longitudinal co-evolution of tumors and their microenvironment is critical for developing personalized therapeutic strategies, including optimizing immunotherapeutic approaches.
Liquid biopsies provide a minimally invasive approach for longitudinal monitoring of cancer dynamics. Current methods primarily focus on next-generation sequencing-based analysis of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) or circulating tumor cells (CTCs), which track only tumor-specific changes during disease progression. However, other sources, such as extracellular vesicle RNA (EV-RNA) profiling, can capture broader transcriptomic changes in response to therapy. This capability is exemplified by our RExCuE (mRNA Expression in Circulating EVs) platform, an innovative tool that monitors mRNA alterations in circulation. However, RExCuE is currently unable to distinguish tumor-specific changes from systemic effects. To address this gap, I will build upon my expertise in EV-RNA analysis to understand tumor-intrinsic pathways and the activation status of tumor-extrinsic factors, including the tumor stroma and immune ecosystem. In particularly, I will: (1) identify tumor-specific EV-RNA alterations associated with therapy response and disease progression; (2) characterize the impact of ecosystem-derived EVs on tumor evolution and therapy outcomes; and (3) develop a comprehensive tool to deconvolute tumor-intrinsic and extrinsic transcriptomic changes from clinical samples in circulation.
This approach intends to provide a deeper understanding of the adaptive responses of both tumors and their ecosystems to treatments, ultimately guiding more effective and personalized therapeutic strategies.
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)
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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
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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.
HORIZON-ERC - HORIZON ERC Grants
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Call for proposal
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Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2025-STG
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46012 Valencia
Spain
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