CANCER-ID should lead to faster and easier analysis of tumors
The analysis of the development of tumors should be easier and faster. That is the aim of the extensive European CANCER-ID project, in which the University of Twente is participating as one of the lead partners. Professor Leon Terstappen, head of the Department of Medical Cell Biophysics at the University of Twente, together with Professor Klaus Pantel from the Hamburg-Eppendorf University Medical Center, form the scientific management of the project, with participation from no less than 33 partners from 13 countries.
Analysis
The analysis of tumor cells and nucleic acids from blood makes it easier to determine the appropriate therapy and to effectively monitor its effect. Doctors can therefore deploy the appropriate therapy earlier, faster and with greater focus. These new methods are of interest because biopsy of the tumor is not always possible, for example because it is not known where the tumor is located, or if is located somewhere in the body that is difficult to reach.
Within the project, the methods for deducing the development of tumors from blood are validated. This should lead to robust validated methods that can be used in practice. In this way, the use of precision medicines will be improved, leading to better treatment for the patient.
Large European consortium
CANCER-ID is the project of a new European consortium, which is partly funded by the Innovative Medicines initiative (IMI), a collaboration between the European Union and the pharmaceutical industry. IMI aims to accelerate the development of innovative medicines for complex medical conditions and to improve the accessibility of these medicines for patients.
At the moment, 33 partners from 13 countries are affiliated with the CANCER-ID consortium. The programme has a term of five years and has a budget of 14.5 million euros. Slightly more than half of this amount is funded by the corporate sector. The scientific leadership is in the hands of Terstappen and Pantel, the other lead partners are the German company Bayer HealthCare and Silicon Biosystems (part of the Menarini Group) from Italy.
Timing
"It is the ideal moment to combine forces in order to bring possibilities for therapy for cancer patients a step further. With this project we can extend and deepen the research work that we perform within the FP7 programme CTCTrap. The broad cooperation with both small and large companies in this field of operation, together with scientific researchers and the medical community means that we can now make great strides", says Terstappen.
