Training Network for the education of the next generation scientist in targeting the supressive capacity of regulatory T-cells specifically within tumours: Tumor-Treg-Targeting

Programme(s): H2020-EU.1.3.1. - Fostering new skills by means of excellent initial training of researchers

Topic(s): MSCA-ITN-2017 - Innovative Training Networks

Call for proposal: H2020-MSCA-ITN-2017

Funding Scheme: MSCA-ITN-EID - European Industrial Doctorates

Grant agreement ID: 765394

Objective

Tumour immune-therapy has made dramatic improvements in recent years, saving the lives of cancer patients who just a few years ago would have been considered untreatable. It thereby became apparent that one specific type of immune cell, so called regulatory T-cells, critically hampers the efficacy of tumour immune-therapy. Tumours, however, attract and exploit the immune-regulatory function of Tregs to dampen local immune responses and to induce local tolerance.
In recent years, inhibitors that directly target immune-suppressive mechanisms of T cells have found clinical application with great success. The clinical application of these so called “check-point inhibitors”, however, is accompanied by severe side effects in treated patients. Thus improvement of the efficacy of current immune-therapeutic treatments is a major unmet need. This proposal will employ the newest developments in antibody design to target the next generation of biologics right towards tumour-residential Tregs or directly into the tumour micro-environment itself. In this way we will be able to specifically shift the local immune suppressive environment within tumours, while leaving tissue homeostasis in noncancerous tissues unaffected, and thus diminish treatment associated side-effects.
The here proposed project combines the expertise of fundamental immunologist, tumour immunologists and cell biologists with that of a life-science biotechnology company and that of experts in clinical cancer research to address this aspect. This group will lead a training network that aims at educating a new generation of researchers, who will be able to bridge the innovation gap between, on the one hand, early discoveries in tumour-immunology as well as in antibody technology and, on the other hand, the efficient translation and clinical validations of these findings in patients.