Transplanting defences to combat cancer

Bruno Miguel de Carvalho Silva-Santos

Insituto de Medicina Molecular (iMM) de Lisboa, Portugal

Cancer is the second leading cause of death in developed countries. Many patients do not respond to current treatments. But immunotherapy combines hope: stimulation of the patient’s own defenses has become a new weapon to combat both tumor and metastasis.

One type of immunotherapy focuses on T cells, which are a type of immune cells that fight infection. Therapy consists of removing these cells from the patient through the blood, modifying them in the laboratory and replacing them in the person with the ability to recognize cancer cells.

This project is based on the design of a new technology focusing on a specific subtype of antitumor T cells. These cells, which come from a healthy donor, can be transplanted into any cancer patient, becoming a universal, effective and safe treatment for cancer patients.

Pablo Menéndez Bujan, Josep Carreras Leukemia Research Institute (JCLRI), Spain

Next-generation CAR-DOT cells for allogeneic adoptive cancer immunotherapy

€999,997