Objective
EpoCan aims to develop and implement a comprehensive interdisciplinary strategy to assess the long-term risks of erythropoietin (EPO) and its derivatives (epoetins) on tumour growth progression and thromboembolic events in cancer patients, cardiovascular events, and the development of cancer in chronic kidney disease. Approximately 400,000 patients across Europe receive epoetins treatment each year. Recent meta-analysis data have raised concerns over increased mortality in some patient groups. Hence the urgent need to evaluate the risk-benefit ratio of epoetin treatment and its potential long-term effects.
EpoCan brings together a multidisciplinary consortium of 12 world leading academic, industrial and medical partners, with long-standing, complementary expertise in haemostasis, oncology and EPO biology. EpoCan aims to (1) Identify, detect and measure possible long-term hazards of epoetin treatment; (2) Develop novel prognostic tools and new complementary therapeutic reagents: (3) Evaluate the risk-benefit ratio to pave the way for new safety and efficacy criteria.
EpoCan will: (a) Utilize a wide array of cellular models to thoroughly analyze EPO/EPO receptor(EPO-R)interaction and signalling, to define the relationship between EPO-R expression in tumour samples and the clinical outcome in cancer patients; (b) Establish and test new, personalized, predictive tools (EPO-R peptide antagonists, novel specific anti-EPO-R monoclonal antibodies, thromboembolic tests); (c) Create new murine models as hosts for tumour implantation subjected to EPO and derivatives established above; (d) Screen and analyze clinical databases; (e) Define models to predict hazardous versus safe/beneficial roles of epoetins in the treatment of cancer and kidney failure associated anaemia. Data obtained will be integrated into coherent models using novel computational algorithms developed for EpoCan. Results are expected to have broad ramifications, with special relevance for clinical oncology.
Fields of science
Call for proposal
FP7-HEALTH-2011-single-stage
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Funding Scheme
CP-FP - Small or medium-scale focused research projectCoordinator
69978 Tel Aviv
Israel
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Participants (12)
BT7 1NN Belfast
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8006 ZURICH
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45141 Essen
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28049 Madrid
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3584 CX Utrecht
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2333 ZA Leiden
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1210 Wien
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6020 Innsbruck
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80636 Munich
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79111 FREIBURG
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67017 TEL AVIV-JAFFO
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7608665 Rehovot
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