Project: Radiotherapy-Activated Immunomodulating Niches
| Acronym | RAIN (Reference Number: EURONANOMED2021-014) |
| Duration | 01/01/2022 - 31/12/2024 |
| Project Topic | Glioblastoma (GBM) is one of the deadliest types of cancer, and new treatments in the last decades have had little impact on patient survival. Immunotherapy tries to activate the host immune system against the tumor and it is considered a key opportunity to provide a real breakthrough in glioblastoma treatment. Unfortunately, GBM is poorly immunogenic and is characterized by an immunosuppressive environment, rendering immunotherapy ineffective and highlighting the urgent need for innovative approaches. The RAIN project starts from the understanding that radiotherapy, used in the first-line treatment of glioblastoma, has a direct immune effect caused by the release of tumor antigens in the tumor microenvironment by dying cells. Still, this immune stimulation alone is insufficient to provide anticancer effects due to the profound immunosuppression of the GBM microenvironment. RAINs are delivery systems for local implantation at the GBM resection cavity consisting of nanoparticle-delivered immune stimulating molecules and RNA inhibitors against immunosuppressive pathways aimed at boosting the antitumoral effects of radiation and immune checkpoint inhibitors. The delivery of these molecules in nanostructured formulations is a critical element, because these drugs, although very potent, have important pharmaceutical limitations: (a) they can be toxic if spread around the bloodstream, (b) they require stabilization of long-term effects and (c) they have to reach intracellular targets. The RAIN team will first identify photon radiotherapy protocols that generate the most effective immune responses and simultaneously design different types of nanomedicines for immune activation. Then, the team will study the antitumoral effect of the prototypes in combination with radiotherapy and with the immune checkpoint inhibitor anti-PD-1 in different glioblastoma models in an effort to move these nanomedicines towards a clinical translation. |
| Website | visit project website |
| Network | EuroNanoMed III |
| Call | Joint Transnational Call (2021) |
Project partner
| Number | Name | Role | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Instituto de Investigaciones Sanitarias de Santiago de Compostela (IDIS) | Coordinator | Spain |
| 2 | National Taiwan University of Science and Technology | Partner | Taiwan |
| 3 | Institut Curie - | Partner | France |
| 4 | Taipei Medical University and Taipei Medical University Hospital | Partner | Taiwan |
| 5 | Université Catholique de Louvain | Partner | Belgium |
| 6 | Istituto Oncologico Veneto | Partner | Italy |