PRECISION ImmunoRad: Overcoming Tumour Resistance to Immunotherapy
The Cyprus Cancer Research Institute (CCRI) is participating in the international consortium of the PRECISION ImmunoRad project, funded by the European Research Council (ERC) under the highly competitive Synergy Grants programme. The aim of the project is to develop innovative approaches to overcoming tumour resistance to immunotherapy.
The CCRI, which was founded in 2019 thanks to the generous donation of the “George and Kaity David” Foundation, with institutional participation from the University of Cyprus, the Bank of Cyprus Oncology Centre and the Karaiskakio Foundation, is one of the three host institutions of the international consortium.
Dr Koumenis, currently Professor of Radiation Oncology at the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn), will use part of the funding to establish a research team at CCRI. The research programme will focus on identifying and characterising new cancer targets for CAR T-cell treatment and mRNA vaccine-based anti-tumour approaches, which can be translated into new clinical trials by the other principal investigators of this Synergy grant. “The aim is to make the new findings available to the consortium for rapid clinical implementation, so that patients may benefit from this collaboration at an early stage,” notes Professor Koumenis.
The ERC Synergy Grant is considered one of the most competitive funding programmes worldwide. Through it, the European Research Council supports exceptional researchers in carrying out groundbreaking ideas that can only be realised through the joint efforts of specialised teams.
Also participating in PRECISION ImmunoRad — which will be funded with a total of 14 million euro over six years — are the teams of Professors Dr Dr Amir Abdollahi (project coordinator) and Dr Dirk Jäger from the University and University Hospital of Heidelberg, as well as the team of Professor Dr Carl H. June from the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn).
The participation of CCRI in one of the most competitive European programmes highlights the strength of Cyprus’ research ecosystem and the importance of collaborations that drive scientific progress and innovation.
The project is expected to begin at the CCRI in 2026.
Information: https://www.ccri.org.cy/
Source: University of Cyprus | Latest news (https://tinyurl.com/2tmxv49k)