Project description
Gene therapy for chronic hepatitis
The hepatitis B virus (HBV) can cause cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma, leading to one million deaths per year worldwide. Since the mechanisms underlying HBV persistence are poorly understood, there is no definitive cure, and current treatments aim to reduce the development of liver disease. The EU-funded 2LIVEr project is working on a novel strategy to reactivate the ineffective CD8+ T cell response towards the HBV based on the hepatocellular delivery of interleukin-2 (IL-2) by lentiviral vectors. This gene therapy approach will serve as a functional cure against chronic hepatitis B by activating the immune system against the virus.
Objective
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infections remain a major public health issue worldwide. Over 350 -400 million people are chronically infected by HBV, and about 1 million people die each year from the complications of this infection (cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma) with a consequent hefty economic impact on national health systems. This led the World Health Organization to recognise HBV infection as a key priority and adopt the global health sector strategy to eliminate viral hepatitis, with a target of reducing new infections by 90% and mortality by 65% by 2030.
The risk of developing a chronic infection in healthy adults is due to a weaker, dysfunctional and narrowly focused CD8+ T cell response. Since the mechanisms underlying HBV persistence are not fully elucidated, current treatments (antiviral drugs and Interferon) aim to reduce the development of liver disease, while a definitive treatment for curing this infection is not yet available on the market.
Within the ERC Consolidator Grant 725038 “FATE”, we recently characterized the mechanisms behind the ineffective CD8+ T cell response towards HBV, demonstrating the potential efficacy of interleukin-2 (IL-2) – a cytokine – to reactivate it, thus achieving antiviral activity. This discovery, jointly with our proprietary third-generation, self-inactivating lentiviral vectors (LVs) that allow selective hepatocellular expression of IL-2, pave the way to single-dose gene therapy-based approach, a potential functional cure against chronic hepatitis B.
2LIVEr project intends to optimize and further validate our novel therapeutic approach from both a technical and commercial standpoint, moving from TRL3 to TRL4, thus fastening the roadmap towards the market.
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: https://op.europa.eu/en/web/eu-vocabularies/euroscivoc.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: https://op.europa.eu/en/web/eu-vocabularies/euroscivoc.
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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)
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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-2020-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.
20132 Milano
Italy
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.