Objective
"Personalised T cell therapy has shown remarkable success in cancer therapy, however the antigens that T cells recognize to kill tumor cells are dependent on the individual tumor, T cell receptor (TCR) profile and antigen presentation machinery. AI-TreatCancer will leverage predicTCR, a proprietary AI-guided classifier that identifies tumor-killing TCRs from patient samples, decreasing the time to identify therapeutic TCRs from 3-4 months to under 2 weeks.
In the ERC Advanced Grant (ERC-2023-ADG #101141901 — Characterizing and harnessing tumor-reactive T cells in the brain; “CENTRIC-BRAIN”), predicTCR was extensively validated, including resolving the target antigens of many TCRs. Following discussions with the regulator we identified key regulatory compliance obstacles that must be resolved prior to implementing predicTCR in a first-in-human, AI-guided personalised transgenic T cell therapy trial - the first step to securing investment for market entry.
Firstly we will develop robust quality control metrics that automatically identify compromised patient samples before analysis, preventing false-positive TCR identification that could lead to ineffective therapies. Secondly AI-TreatCancer will establish regulatory compliance for the use of predicTCR in selecting tumor-targeting TCRs for a clinical trial.
The project's high-gain potential extends beyond immediate clinical application. Success would establish a new regulatory framework for AI-assisted companion diagnostics in cell therapies, creating a template for future innovations. A compliant predicTCR would enable systematic TCR discovery, including in rare cancers currently excluded from therapeutic development, and potentially identify cross-entity shared tumor-reactive TCRs for “off-the-shelf” cell therapies. Furthermore, the comprehensive quality control pipeline would set industry standards for single-cell sequencing in clinical applications, benefiting the broader precision medicine field.
"
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 health sciences personalized medicine
- medical and health sciences medical biotechnology cells technologies
You need to log in or register to use this function
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.
-
HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
See all projects funded under this programme
Topic(s)
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.
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
See all projects funded under this funding scheme
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
See all projects funded under this callHost institution
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.
69120 Heidelberg
Germany
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.