Descrizione del progetto
Un nuovo approccio per lo sviluppo dei vaccini contro il cancro
L’immunoterapia è un approccio promettente per il trattamento del cancro, ma finora i vaccini antitumorali hanno dimostrato un successo limitato nelle sperimentazioni cliniche. Recentemente, l’identificazione di anomalie negli antigeni carboidrati associati ai tumori sulla superficie delle cellule tumorali ha portato allo sviluppo di nuovi vaccini contro il cancro. Il progetto ARGONAUT, finanziato dall’UE, si propone di affrontare i problemi legati allo sviluppo di vaccini candidati efficaci avvalendosi di nuove tecnologie. L’attenzione sarà incentrata sui vaccini basati sugli antigeni carboidrati associati ai tumori di tipo gangliosidico, facili da formulare e in grado di indurre una risposta immunitaria indipendente dalle singole variazioni genetiche. Il progetto offrirà la possibilità di un approccio immunoterapico maggiormente selettivo sul tumore.
Obiettivo
Immunotherapy is currently revolutionizing cancer therapy by harnessing the power of the innate and adaptive immune system against cancer cells, thus providing a more tumour-selective approach in assistance to traditional treatments. The identification of tumour-associated carbohydrate antigens (TACAs), aberrant types of glycans decorating the surface of tumour cells, has paved the way for the development of new types of cancer vaccines. However, while significant progress has been made in this area of research, TACA-based cancer vaccines have not yet reached the clinic. In this context, ARGONAUT will address some limitations that characterize classical approaches in carbohydrate cancer vaccine development, with the overall aim of establishing a strategy to access novel, more effective, and fully synthetic vaccine candidates. ARGONAUT’s journey aims at the preparation of vaccine candidates based on ganglioside-type TACAs (expressed in melanoma, neuroblastoma, and small cell lung cancer) that are easy to formulate, able to elicit a immune response independent from individual polymorphisms, and with better chances to reach the clinical environment. Employing a synthetic carbohydrate chemistry approach, ARGONAUT explores its application as a tool to contribute to H2020 European efforts in cancer research, while providing excellent training in a multidisciplinary and intersectoral environment through a well-implemented work-plan. From another perspective, ARGONAUT’s impact will also benefit from the transfer of knowledge to the host institution with the establishment of a new research line in active cancer immunotherapy.
Campo scientifico
- medical and health sciencesclinical medicineoncologylung cancer
- medical and health sciencesclinical medicineoncologyskin cancermelanoma
- medical and health sciencesbasic medicinepharmacology and pharmacypharmaceutical drugsvaccines
- natural sciencesbiological sciencesbiochemistrybiomoleculescarbohydrates
- medical and health sciencesbasic medicineimmunologyimmunotherapy
Programma(i)
Argomento(i)
Meccanismo di finanziamento
MSCA-IF-EF-ST - Standard EFCoordinatore
2800 Kongens Lyngby
Danimarca