Project

Capacity strengthening for development of pore-forming proteins obtained from a Cuban natural source as Immunogenic Cell Death Inducers for cancer immunotherapy

Code
13V11223
Duration
01 September 2023 → 31 August 2025
Funding
Federal funding: VLIR-UOS
Research disciplines
  • Medical and health sciences
    • Vaccinology
    • Cell death
    • Cancer therapy
Keywords
Cuba immunogenic cell death cancer immunotherapy DAMPs cell death
 
Project description

Cancer is among the leading causes of death in Cuba. The pore-forming proteins (PFPs), purified from the Caribbean Sea anemone Stichodactyla helianthus have the ability to form pores in the cell membrane eventually leading to cell death. PFPs induce the expression of immunogenic cell death (ICD) biomarkers in several model tumour cell lines prompting their study as potential tools for novel therapeutic strategies against cancer. ICD is a critical determinant of efficacy in cancer therapy and induction of efficient anti-cancer immune responses. This project aims to develop a novel cancer experimental immunotherapy based on induction of ICD by these PFPs. The collaboration with the top research group from UGent (Belgium) and other Belgian teams will allow a profound characterization of the impact of these molecules on the immune system as well as the training of Cuban scientists in the state-of-the-art methods of cancer immunotherapy. This expertise will be translated to the Cuban Biopharmaceutical Industry and applied to products under development. The overall goal is to strengthen training of gender balanced male and female researchers and complement institutional infrastructure capacities in biotechnology applications to improve health of the Cuban population and to stimulate sustainable eco-friendly (by producing these proteins recombinantly), circular bio-economy in Cuba. The uptake and outreach of the solutions here foreseen may improve local and international visibility of local institutions, reinforcing global citizenship while education, access to scientific advancement and its benefits, health and human welfare are improved.