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Why viruses coated with peptides could hold the key to cancer immunity
17-12-2019 | Portrait image © University of Helsinki - Illustration: Legend: The new artificially cloaked viral-based nanovaccines for cancer immunotherapeutic applications. © University of Helsinki
A targeted and personalised method for triggering the body’s immune response could transform how we treat cancer. Thanks to a grant from the European Research Council (ERC), an inspired idea has been developed in the lab and turned into a ground-breaking commercial opportunity.
Interview with Sir Peter Ratcliffe - 2019 Nobel Laureate: Paving the way for new cancer treatments
03-12-2019 | © picture
Just days before Sir Peter Radcliffe will receive the Nobel Prize in Stockholm, the European Research Council (ERC) will host him as a speaker in the event “A Sustainable Future for Europe – The Contribution of Frontier Research” in Brussels. This inspirational scientist has underlined that it is ” important that scientists are allowed to derive knowledge for its own sake”. He himself did not know at the outset that his research would lead to the highest accolade in the world of science - a breakthrough that could help pave the way for new treatments for cancer. The ERC funded his research in 2008 via an ERC Advanced Grant of EUR 3 million over five years.
Developing the cancer-fighting drugs of tomorrow
24-10-2019 | Manuel Thery
Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women worldwide. Over 2 million new cases were diagnosed in 2018. Although tools of diagnosis and the diversity of treatment have improved assuring now a 90% five-year survival rate, metastatic breast cancer remains incurable. But will they always be? Dr Manuel Thery works on the next generation of drugs that would promote novel strategies in the fight against breast carcinoma cells.
Versatile nanoparticles take aim at complex bone diseases
24-05-2019 | ©iStockphoto CIPhotos
Multifunctional nanoparticles being developed by EU-funded researchers are set to revolutionise treatments for complex bone diseases, enabling novel therapies for hundreds of millions of people worldwide suffering from bone cancer, bacterial bone infections and osteoporosis.
2018 Research highlights
12-03-2019 | © picture
By the end of 2018, the ERC had funded over 9,000 projects. More than 9,000 incredible stories, all worth telling. Here we showcase some highlights from the last year:
Spotting the killjoy cell
11-02-2019 | © iStockphoto.com
A microchip device to detect tumour cells in the blood, at a glance There are trillions of cells in the human body of different sizes and shapes. In such a densely populated environment, the chances of detecting a single tumour cell circulating in the bloodstream, seem pretty weak. Yet, to prevent potential metastasis, responsible for 90% of cancer-related deaths, early detection is a must. Liesbet Lagae, an engineer based at Imec in Leuven, Belgium, is developing a microchip device that hunts, inspects and sorts out malignant cells circulating in the blood, sharply and cheaply.
A new weapon against pancreatic cancer on the way ?
24-01-2019 | © picture
Tamoxifen, a drug used in breast cancer treatment, may be repositioned to treat pancreatic cancer Pancreatic cancer is the 4th leading cause of death by cancer in Europe. It has a very low survival rate with less than 1 per cent of sufferers surviving for 10 or more years. Over the last 40 years the survival rate has not significantly changed and finding an effective therapy has become a pressing challenge in cancer research. A team based at Imperial College London led by Armando Del Río Hernández, has now demonstrated that a well-known drug could be effective to fight this deadly and other forms of cancer, such as liver cancer.
When scientific curiosity sparks innovation
05-12-2018 | istockphoto
Matchmaking science ready for release on the market with investors in start-ups is the aim of Y Science 2018, the official side event to the world-renowned Slush. Techy events like these may seem almost science fictional at moments and it can be easy to forget that many of the ideas being pitched on stage began with really basic science.
Medical imaging: Can we predict how cancer patients will respond to nanotherapies?
01-10-2018 | The tumor accumulation of nanomedicine formulations can be used to predict their efficacy. This image exemplifies that in those tumors which have the highest levels of nanomedicine accumulation (blue-to-yellow clouds; imaged via FMT imaging), therapeutic
Despite holding out promise for cancer treatments, nanomedicine lacks the means to predict patient response to tumour-targeting therapy. Prof. Twan Lammers has devised imaging which differentiates between those likely to benefit and those unlikely to do so. A significant barrier for the nanopharmaceutical industry tackling cancer is that while some patients treated with nanomedicine show major improvements in survival rates and quality of life, many others do not respond well. This can result in delays in receiving appropriate treatment. A step forward would be the ability to differentiate likely responders from non-responders, prior to their selection for studies or treatment.