REACT | Reprogramming of Tumor Stroma to Enhance Cancer Immunotherapy

Summary
Cancer immunotherapies have shown impressive success in cancer treatment. However, these therapies are limited to certain type of cancers, and success rate is still low. In particular, certain types of solid tumors containing an abundant stroma, which represent a majority of epithelial derived cancer, respond very poorly to immunotherapies. In these tumors, a major challenge for the development of novel cancer immunotherapies is represented by the tumor microenvironment (TME), a highly hypoxic and immunosuppressive environment which prevents proper tumor infiltration and functioning of effector immune cells. Recent discoveries identified tumor-activated mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) developing within the TME, and showed that they represent a major brake for efficient antitumor immunity in solid tumors. In this project, we will investigate the potential of a novel approach and therapeutic avenue to target specific populations of MSCs within the TME, and determine the synergistic effect with immunotherapies to improve treatment efficacy in solid tumors. In the long term, this project aims at overcoming a major barrier in utilizing cancer immunotherapies in solid tumors.
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More information & hyperlinks
Web resources: https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101158040
Start date: 01-06-2024
End date: 30-11-2025
Total budget - Public funding: - 150 000,00 Euro
Cordis data

Original description

Cancer immunotherapies have shown impressive success in cancer treatment. However, these therapies are limited to certain type of cancers, and success rate is still low. In particular, certain types of solid tumors containing an abundant stroma, which represent a majority of epithelial derived cancer, respond very poorly to immunotherapies. In these tumors, a major challenge for the development of novel cancer immunotherapies is represented by the tumor microenvironment (TME), a highly hypoxic and immunosuppressive environment which prevents proper tumor infiltration and functioning of effector immune cells. Recent discoveries identified tumor-activated mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) developing within the TME, and showed that they represent a major brake for efficient antitumor immunity in solid tumors. In this project, we will investigate the potential of a novel approach and therapeutic avenue to target specific populations of MSCs within the TME, and determine the synergistic effect with immunotherapies to improve treatment efficacy in solid tumors. In the long term, this project aims at overcoming a major barrier in utilizing cancer immunotherapies in solid tumors.

Status

SIGNED

Call topic

ERC-2023-POC

Update Date

22-11-2024
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Horizon Europe
HORIZON.1 Excellent Science
HORIZON.1.1 European Research Council (ERC)
HORIZON.1.1.0 Cross-cutting call topics
ERC-2023-POC ERC PROOF OF CONCEPT GRANTS
HORIZON.1.1.1 Frontier science
ERC-2023-POC ERC PROOF OF CONCEPT GRANTS