Project description
Cancer research leading to a novel allergen immunotherapy
When researchers set out to develop a vaccine to cure cancer using targeted immunotherapy, they made a surprising discovery. Using dendritic cells (DCs) as a potentiator to improve anti-tumour T cell activity, they found that many tumours display a high content of sialic acids, which actively suppress DC function and induce tolerance to tumour-associated antigens. This unexpected finding sparks an opportunity to use sialylation (modification with sialic acid) to induce tolerance in allergies, such as house dust mite allergy (HDM), an allergic reaction to tiny bugs that commonly live in house dust. The EU-funded MATCH project will couple HDM major allergens to specific sialic acids. If all goes to plan, the MATCH technology will represent a new and more efficient allergen immunotherapy in a vaccine technology to treat HDM allergy.
Objective
The advances in medical sciences and biopharmaceutical development during the last decennia have been overwhelming. While the scientific and clinical insight in numerous diseases have significantly increased, the curative treatment to most diseases is still not in reach. The most common diseases such as cancer and chronic diseases are still challenging scientists. Therefore, during our ERC Advanced project the main goal was to develop a vaccine to cure cancer using targeted immunotherapy. We used dendritic cells (DCs) as potentiator to improve anti-tumor T cell activity. However, we discovered that many tumors display a high content of sialic acids which actively suppress DCs function and induce tolerance to tumor associated antigens. This unexpected serendipity finding that sialylation of tumor associated antigens induced tolerance to the body’s immune response opens a window of opportunity to use sialylation (modification with sialic acid) to induce tolerance in allergies, such as house dust mite allergy (HDM). In the ERC PoC project (MATCH) I will couple HDM major allergens to specific sialic acid using a linker molecule to induce immune tolerance towards effector T cells in inflammation processes during HDM allergy. The results will lead to validation of the technology developed during the ERC Advanced project and PoC that sialylation induces tolerance when used with HDM allergens. When PoC is reached, the MATCH technology will represent a new allergen immunotherapy in a vaccine technology for HDM allergy with shorter treatment protocols, better efficacy and reduced side effects can be developed. The future potential of this technology may be extended to other allergies and/or autoimmune diseases.
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 basic medicine immunology autoimmune diseases
- medical and health sciences basic medicine pharmacology and pharmacy pharmaceutical drugs vaccines
- medical and health sciences clinical medicine oncology
- medical and health sciences clinical medicine allergology
- medical and health sciences basic medicine immunology immunotherapy
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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.1.1. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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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.
ERC-POC-LS - ERC Proof of Concept Lump Sum Pilot
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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) ERC-2019-PoC
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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.
1081 HV Amsterdam
Netherlands
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.