Project description
A multifunctional cancer vaccine
Cancer vaccines represent a promising but largely unrealised frontier in immunotherapy. Most tumours evade immune attack by suppressing immune responses and presenting insufficient targets for recognition. A vaccine capable of simultaneously presenting tumour-specific antigens and stimulating local immune activation could overcome these barriers. The EIC-funded VacciNEXT project will build on a first-in-class therapeutic cancer vaccine combining three functional components in a single construct: an immunogenic protein carrier, an engineered antigen based on a protein overexpressed in up to 90 % of epithelial cancers, and a small-molecule immune stimulator. The key objective is to advance this vaccine from early concept to preclinical validation.
Objective
VacciNEXT is a next-generation therapeutic anti-cancer vaccine for targeted stimulation of the immune system against cancer. VacciNEXT offers a paradigm-shifting solution to the persistent challenges of cancer immunotherapy – overcoming tumour tolerance, limited antigenicity, and immunosuppressive microenvironments – through a first-in-class, multifunctional therapeutic vaccine that unites, in a single innovative construct, a rationally designed triple therapeutic action:
- an immunogenic protein carrier.
- an artificial antigen with improved binding affinity to antibodies, based on an aberrant glycoprotein overexpressed in up to 90% of epithelial cancers (Mucin 1 – MUC1), including gastrointestinal tumours, lung, pancreas and breast cancer.
- a small-molecule immunomodulator, which ensures targeted immunostimulation at the tumour site, with reduced side effects.
Our central hypothesis is that integrating tumour-specific antigen presentation and tumour-localised innate immune stimulation within a single, chemically-defined and site-selectively assembled construct will overcome both immune tolerance (enabling potent T-cell responses) and systemic toxicity – limitations that have so far stalled progress in cancer vaccine development.
The project aims to propel this deep-tech vaccine from TRL2 into preclinical studies (TRL4). Under the coordination of Basinnov (expert in Oncology and Immunotherapy), the consortium integrates the expertise in translational biomedical research from GIMM (PT), in biotechnological advancements on antigen synthesis and design from Univ. La Rioja (ES) and in cutting-edge protein engineering from Univ. Cambridge (UK).
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.
- natural sciences biological sciences biochemistry biomolecules proteins
- medical and health sciences basic medicine pharmacology and pharmacy pharmaceutical drugs vaccines
- medical and health sciences clinical medicine oncology
- medical and health sciences basic medicine immunology immunotherapy
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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.3.1 - The European Innovation Council (EIC)
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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.
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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) HORIZON-EIC-2025-PATHFINDEROPEN
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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.
1070-325 Lisboa
Portugal
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.