PEPtide-based Therapy for recurrent Ovarian Cancer

Descrizione del progetto

Prevenire la recidiva del cancro ovarico

La recidiva del tumore ovarico resta una sfida importante in oncologia, con tassi di recidiva che superano l’80 % nei casi in stadio avanzato. Le terapie attuali prendono di mira ampi meccanismi di riparazione e segnalazione del DNA, tuttavia, la loro limitata specificità provoca effetti collaterali significativi. Il progetto PEPTOC, finanziato dal CER, propone un cambio di paradigma: dal trattamento della recidiva alla sua prevenzione, prendendo di mira i percorsi cellulari alla base della resistenza alla chemioterapia. I ricercatori valideranno PEPTOC in modelli preclinici in vivo e ne garantiranno la proprietà intellettuale prima di procedere alla commercializzazione. Per facilitare la traduzione in ambito clinico, il progetto coinvolgerà medici, pazienti e portatori di interessi del settore farmaceutico. Se avrà successo, PEPTOC potrebbe rappresentare la prima opzione terapeutica preventiva contro la recidiva del cancro ovarico.

Obiettivo

Ovarian cancer recurrence after complete clinical response is a major challenge in gynecologic oncology. Recurrence occurs in nearly 25% of early-stage cases and in more than 80% of advanced-stage cases. Current targeted therapies for the treatment of ovarian cancer relapse are still in Phase II clinical trials and, while these therapies represent significant advances in cancer treatment, they target broad inhibitory mechanisms that affect DNA repair and signaling pathways in a variety of cell types, which lead to significant side-effects.
To address the critical challenge of recurrent ovarian cancer, PEPTOC’s solution shifts the paradigm from treating recurrence to preventing it. By strategically targeting the cellular pathways involved in chemotherapy resistance, PEPTOC offers a preventive approach to avoid ovarian cancer recurrence.
This ERC Proof of Concept project aims to:
1) Perform preclinical validation of PEPTOC in an in vivo model.
2) Secure intellectual property and define the commercialization pathway.
3) Develop and implement a comprehensive business strategy.
Taken together, the objectives of PEPTOC will pursue the steps necessary to develop a viable therapeutic option: ensure that the therapy is both safe and effective in vivo, protect intellectual property and define the commercialization pathway (spinout company and strategic partnerships, if needed), and engage with relevant stakeholders through a series of activities, including workshops with oncologists, focus groups with patients, and meetings with pharmaceutical representatives and investors at industry events. To guide these efforts, we will rely on the expertise of Key Opinion Leaders serving on an Advisory Board to ensure that PEPTOC’s development is strategically aligned with market needs. If successful, PEPTOC would represent a breakthrough innovation in oncology, providing a first-of-its-kind solution for the prevention of ovarian cancer recurrence.