Project description
Enhancing immunotherapy efficacy
Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells have emerged as powerful weapons against leukaemia and lymphoma. These cells are engineered to recognise specific antigens on cancer cells and kill them. However, the clinical success of this immunotherapy approach has been hampered by antigen heterogeneity, CAR T cell exhaustion and immunosuppression. Funded by the European Innovation Council, the CD20CARNAPT project aims to address these limitations by enhancing the activity of CAR T cells. Researchers will employ the mini-ferritin neutrophil-activating protein of Helicobacter pylori, which can promote cytotoxic T cell responses and revert the immune suppressive profile of macrophages. Through this approach, researchers aim to prime patients’ endogenous immune system against the tumour.
Objective
Elicera developed a universally compatible technology platform called iTANK (ImmunoTherapies Activated with NAP for efficient Killing) to enhance the efficacy of current and under development CAR-T cell therapies by inducing a dual mechanism-of-action in the treatment of lymphomas and solid tumours. Elicera’s iTANK platform can circumvent major challenges of CAR-T cells in the treatment of solid tumours, such as antigen heterogenicity, local immunosuppression, and CAR T-cell exhaustion. As such, the iTANK platform has a potential to revolutionise the landscape of the immuno-oncology
Our innovation arms CAR-T cells with NAP from H.pylori which induces a pro-inflammatory microenvironment and activates the patient’s own CD8+ killer T-cells against the whole repertoire of relevant tumour antigen targets. When tumour cells are killed, NAP-activated dendritic cells can take up tumour-associated antigens and prime killer T-cells against these antigens overcoming problems for CAR-T therapy.
Fields of science
Programme(s)
- HORIZON.3.1 - The European Innovation Council (EIC) Main Programme
Funding Scheme
HORIZON-AG - HORIZON Action Grant Budget-BasedCoordinator
402 24 GOTEBORG
Sweden
The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.