Project description
Next-generation immunotherapy for pancreatic cancer
KRAS is a key oncogene mutated in many cancers, including pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). It encodes a small GTPase involved in cell signalling pathways regulating growth, differentiation and survival and thus KRAS mutations cause uncontrolled cell proliferation. Despite its therapeutic potential, targeting KRAS has encountered many challenges. With the support of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the NIR-NanoCAR project aims to overcome this problem through an innovative approach that combines photothermal therapy and exosomes from CAR T-cells. The idea is to utilise exosomes as vehicles for the delivery of IL-12 and siRNA targeting KRAS in cancer cells. This hybrid nanotherapy will be tested in a murine PDAC model for efficacy.
Objective
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the deadliest cancers with a 5-year survival rate under 10%. Current treatments for PDAC are based on ineffective and unspecific drugs that cause hard side effects. Besides, new T cell-based immunotherapies are toxic and unsuccessful in most solid tumors, including PDAC. Activating KRAS mutations occur in almost all patients, but unfortunately, KRAS is difficult to target. This discouraging situation highlights the need to design orthogonal and innovative strategies that target different pro-tumoral axes, in order to increase the antitumor effect minimizing side effects. In NIR-NanoCAR project, we will develop a new concept of therapy, Near-Infrared (NIR) Photothermal Nano-CAR Immunotherapy (NIR-PNCI). To test this concept, we will fuse i) thermosensitive liposomes capable to mediate photothermal therapy by NIR, with ii) exosomes derived from mesothelin-CAR T cells armored with IL-12 (which maintain effector molecules from their parental cells) and loaded with siRNA targeted to mutated KRAS. We will explore the antitumor capability and the tumor microenvironment-reprograming mediated by the hybrid nanotherapy in a relevant murine PDAC model. If successful, this nanosystem will be a breakthrough with a paradigm shift in the strategy to design the next generation of nanoimmunotherapies for solid tumors.
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 clinical medicine oncology prostate cancer
- natural sciences biological sciences cell biology
- natural sciences biological sciences genetics mutation
- medical and health sciences basic medicine immunology immunotherapy
- medical and health sciences clinical medicine oncology pancreatic cancer
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
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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HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
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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
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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.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
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Call for proposal
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Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2022-PF-01
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18071 Granada
Spain
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