Project description
Personalised bone models for testing cancer immunotherapies
Bones are a frequent site for cancer growth and metastasis, but existing models do not faithfully recapitulate the physiology of the human bone environment. The human ossicle (hOss) technology recreates miniature patient-derived bone organs, providing a more physiologically relevant system to study bone-related cancers. Supported by a tailored extracellular matrix called OssiGel, this platform ensures consistent formation of human-like bone tissue from patient cells. The ERC-funded CiThOss project will test the potential of the hOss technology to serve as a new in vivo model for cancer immunotherapies. The idea is to compare treatment responses to conventional mouse models and understand how the bone microenvironment affects therapeutic outcomes. The project aims to bridge the gap between preclinical testing and patient outcomes.
Objective
Bones represent a privileged site for cancer initiation and metastasis. Yet, current in vitro and animal models fall short in accurately recapitulating bone-developing cancers. To address this, we developed the human ossicle (hOss) technology: the in vivo formation of miniaturized bone organs composed of patient-derived bone and marrow cells. By mimicking the patient’s bone microenvironment, hOss offer a personalized model for studying bone-related cancers. To ensure reproducibility and standardization, we further developed OssiGel—a customized extracellular matrix that reliably supports robust hOss formation from patient-derived cells. This innovation paves the way for advanced therapy testing, particularly for cellular immunotherapies, which still rely heavily on mouse models despite their limited clinical predictive value.
Here, we aim to validate hOss as a superior platform for assessing the efficacy of immunotherapies. Using OssiGel, we will generate hOss and evaluate therapeutic responses, directly comparing outcomes in tumors engrafted in mouse bones versus hOss. Our project addresses a critical need to understand how the human bone/bone marrow microenvironment shapes immunotherapy outcomes. It proposes the first in vivo personalized model for testing immunotherapies, offering insight into the variable clinical success of current 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.
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.
- medical and health sciences clinical medicine oncology
- medical and health sciences basic medicine immunology immunotherapy
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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
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-POC - HORIZON ERC Proof of Concept 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-2025-POC
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22100 Lund
Sweden
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