Recipient: Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms University of Bonn
Funding: GO-Bio initial conceptual phase 4  (01/10/2023 to 30/09/2024, EUR 114,760.32)

Project description:

Cell immunotherapies have led to significant improvements in cancer therapy in recent years. However, previous approaches have to be produced individually, i.e., in a patient-specific manner. New approaches are therefore increasingly based on so-called natural killer (NK) cells. These are part of the innate immune system and represent the first line of defence in our body’s fight against invaders such as bacteria and viruses, but also against cancer cells. NK cell therapies are not patient-specific and thus allow scalable manufacturing, which can both reduce costs and improve the logistics of the application. The aim of the project is to develop an immunotherapy using a previously unused subgroup of NK cells. These specialised NK cells possess numerous functions that are useful for cancer treatment. Thus, they are characterised by strong anti-tumour activity. However, they are difficult to isolate due to their low levels in the blood. Therefore, in the upcoming exploratory phase, preliminary technical investigations for the isolation and proliferation of these cells are to be developed. The specialised NK cells are to be further equipped with molecules for better recognition of tumour cells. In addition, the exploitation idea for this novel cancer immunotherapy is to be further developed. To this end intellectual property rights, market and competition will be analysed and an implementation plan for the subsequent feasibility phase will be drawn up.