Project description
Targeting the microenvironment of pancreatic cancer
The microenvironment of the tumour interacts with cancer cells, forming a barrier to the delivery of drugs and supporting tumour growth. Therefore, there is a growing interest towards interventions that target this microenvironment. The EU-funded FIBROHALT project focuses on pancreatic cancer, an aggressive tumour with dismal prognosis. Researchers are developing a peptide drug that targets the stroma of pancreatic cancer and reduces fibrosis, a condition associated with tissue lesions and impaired organ function. The project aims to formulate strategies for the clinical development of the drug and its subsequent commercialisation, offering a synergistic treatment for pancreatic cancer.
Objective
Pancreatic cancer is a devastating disease with a median 5-year survival rate of 3-5%. One explanation for the dismal prognosis is the failure of many chemotherapies. Pancreatic tumor cells stimulate neighbouring non-tumor cells (stromal cells) to join and grow around them. This stroma forms a fibrous matrix that promotes 1) aggressive tumor growth, 2) distant metastasis, and 3) form a barrier to chemotherapy and drug delivery. There is a high need to enhance the success of pancreatic cancer treatment by intensively pursuing strategies that target the tumor stroma. We are developing a novel peptide-based drug (AV3), that targets and reduces tumor stroma in pancreatic cancer, and potentially in other fibrosis-associated cancers. We have demonstrated that AV3 reduces fibrosis (>50%) and enhanced the efficacy of chemotherapy in clinically relevant patient-derived xenograft models (achieving up to 80% tumor regression). Thus, our novel peptide has the potential to become a breakthrough add-on to chemotherapy in the treatment of pancreatic cancer. We are a biopharmaceutical company, spun-out in 2016 by the University of Twente. Our mission is to develop novel, targeted, peptide-based drugs to treat pancreatic cancer and other fibrosis-associated cancers and diseases with high unmet medical needs. The management team consists of its pioneering scientific founder and inventor of the technology Prof. Jai Prakash (CEO) and an experienced entrepreneur and drug developer Dr. Bart Metselaar (COO). The FIBROHALT project will (1) create a clear overview of the clinical opportunity for AV3 in pancreatic cancer, 2) develop a strategy to position the drug in the pancreatic cancer market, and (3) create an optimal development strategy, including a de-risk plan for future clinical studies. We will pursue a co-development or licensing deal for AV3 with a pharmaceutical company which will perform late-stage clinical development, obtain EMA/FDA approvals, market and sell AV3.
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.
- social sciences economics and business business and management entrepreneurship
- natural sciences biological sciences biochemistry biomolecules
- medical and health sciences clinical medicine oncology pancreatic cancer
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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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H2020-EU.2.3. - INDUSTRIAL LEADERSHIP - Innovation In SMEs
MAIN PROGRAMME
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H2020-EU.3. - PRIORITY 'Societal challenges
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H2020-EU.2.1. - INDUSTRIAL LEADERSHIP - Leadership in enabling and industrial technologies
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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.
SME-1 - SME instrument phase 1
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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) H2020-EIC-SMEInst-2018-2020
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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.
7522 LW ENSCHEDE
Netherlands
The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
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.