Objective
B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) is the commonest cancer in children and B-ALL with mixed-lineage leukemia rearrangements (MLLr) has a particularly dismal prognosis compared with other B-ALLs. Many MLLrB-ALL patients are refractory to chemotherapy and eventually relapse. Thus, MLLrB-ALL remains clinically challenging. Adoptive transfer of T cells engineered to express artificial chimeric antigen (Ag) receptors (CARs) targeting tumor cell surface-specific Ag is an exciting new approach for cancer immunotherapy.
Clinical trials in patients with advanced B-ALL treated with CAR-T cells against CD19 have shown impressive disease remission; however relapse still occurs with loss of CD19. Importantly, the B-ALL patients who have not responded to CD19 CAR-T cells were mainly those carrying MLLr. A strategy to offset tumor Ag-loss relapse is to modify T cells with one CAR molecule containing two different binding domains in tandem (bispecific CAR). By using both in vitro and in vivo approaches, I plan to improve CD19 CAR-T cell therapy for MLLrB-ALL by i)developing a novel bispecific CD19/NG2 CAR, which we expect will reduce single-Ag immune pressure, and ii)through the combination of CD19 CAR-T cell therapy with P-D1/PD-L1 blockade.
How to achieve a long-term persistence of CAR-T cells in the host still remains a major challenge in adoptive T cell immunotherapy, and therefore understanding the interplay between T cells, MLLrB-ALL blasts and mesenchymal stromal cells/stroma is fundamental to improve the efficiency of this immunotherapy. We will thus address in vitro and in vivo the contribution of the leukemia microenvironment to CAR-T cell efficacy, as a potential tumor microenvironment (PD1/PD1L)-mediated indirect mechanism of immune escape to CAR T-cells.
This cutting-edge proposal will increase my scientific potential and I will be benefited with the complementary/leadership training activities already planned to reach in a near future an independent position.
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 immunotherapy
- medical and health sciences clinical medicine oncology leukemia
- medical and health sciences medical biotechnology cells technologies
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.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
-
H2020-EU.1.3. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
MAIN PROGRAMME
See all projects funded under this programme -
H2020-EU.1.3.2. - Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility
See all projects funded under this programme
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.
MSCA-IF-EF-ST - Standard EF
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.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) H2020-MSCA-IF-2017
See all projects funded under this callCoordinator
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.
08916 Badalona
Spain
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.