Skip to main content
Go to the home page of the European Commission (opens in new window)
English English
CORDIS - EU research results
CORDIS

Personalized Cancer Immunotherapy through DNA-EP vaccines

Project description

Personalised cancer vaccine

Neoantigen cancer vaccines developed against peptides found only on the surface of cancer cells represent a novel precision medicine approach directed against advanced or metastatic cancers. Takis had previously developed and patented a method for the production of patient-specific DNA-based neoantigen cancer vaccine with delivery through an exclusive electroporation technology. The pre-clinical studies demonstrated total elimination of human lung cancer in a humanised mouse model within 60 days of treatment. This EU-funded TK-NEO project aims to validate the feasibility and the authorisation process for future tests, and determine the cost and confirm investments required for further clinical development and commercialisation.

Objective

TK-NEO is a DNA-based Neoantigen Cancer Vaccine (NCV), for use as therapeutic vaccination in patients with locally advanced or metastatic solid tumours. NCVs are a new form of precision medicine and are a perfect clinical approach for highly heterogeneous tumors in patients with metastatic disease. Takis has developed and patented a unique method for production of patient-specific NCVs based on a 6-week process, from sequencing the specific tumour DNA, synthesis of the right DNA sequence for the specific tumour, delivery through a specific Electroporation (EP) technology used under exclusive license. The solution was proven at pre-clinical stage to reduce to zero a human lung cancer in humanized mice in 60 days and to increase the efficacy several fold with respect to alternative RNA and DNA based NCVs in protecting relapse and boosting immune responses as required for the maintenance of long-term anti-tumor immunity.
The strategy to reach the market for TK-NEO is to license the IP of TK-NEO to a large pharma company, after completion of clinical validation trials to demonstrate the applicability and safety of the approach: phase I clinical trials in melanoma are targeted during SME Instrument project, while implementation of a GMP manufacturing to carry out phase II clinical trials and the implementation of the trials will require additional 5M investment. The Total Available Market is constituted by melanoma patients who underwent surgery and first chemotherapeutic treatment, who are estimated in the order of 30.000 patients per year combining EU and US.
The objectives of the feasibility study are: 1) to validate the feasibility and the authorization process for the release tests, 2) to confirm investment, cost and pricing for TK-NEO, 3) to define a MoU with VC or with the final client (pharma) for the co-financing of the clinical development of customized TK-NEO and for future licensing.

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.

You need to log in or register to use this function

Programme(s)

Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.

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.

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.

SME-1 - SME instrument phase 1

See all projects funded under this funding scheme

Call for proposal

Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.

(opens in new window) H2020-EIC-SMEInst-2018-2020

See all projects funded under this call

Coordinator

TAKIS SRL
Net EU contribution

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.

€ 50 000,00
Address
VIA DI CASTEL ROMANO 100
00128 Roma
Italy

See on map

SME

The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.

Yes
Region
Centro (IT) Lazio Roma
Activity type
Private for-profit entities (excluding Higher or Secondary Education Establishments)
Links
Total cost

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.

€ 71 429,00
My booklet 0 0