FLUOROTRAP · FLUOROgenic probes for rapid assessment of immunoTheRAPies in precision oncology

Cancer is the second-leading cause of death globally with more than 10 million deaths worldwide in 2020. Immunotherapies can reactivate the immune system against tumors and are promising treatments for many types of cancer; however, only a small fraction of patients that receive immunotherapies show positive responses and it remains unclear what therapy is most suitable for every patient. There is a clear need for rapid, simple and functional assays that can rapidly evaluate the efficacy of anti-cancer immunotherapies to personalize treatment and accelerate precision oncology. This unmet need drives the development of FLUOROTRAP.The ERC CoG project DYNAFLUORS delivered the first fluorescent chemical toolbox for imaging immune cell activity in real time. During the treatment of cancer patients with immunotherapies, the activity of immune cells is indicative of how patients are responding to therapy. Granzyme B is a protein secreted by activated immune cells, such as T cells and natural killer cells; high enzymatic levels are correlated to strong anti-cancer immunity and therefore this biomarker holds potential to predict immunotherapy outcomes. We propose to develop a simple test to measure active granzyme B in cells and biosamples from cancer patients. This technology will advance personalized and precision oncology to ultimately improve patient outcomes, and it will also enable further research and drug discovery on anti-cancer immunotherapies.Funding from the ERC PoC will allow us to: 1) commercialize fluorescent reagents for biomedical research through licensing with industry, and 2) establish the foundations for new healthcare technologies to measure granzyme B activity in biosamples from cancer patients during immunotherapy treatment. This project will be guided by input from industrial partners and biomedical experts, and it will create multiple opportunities for cancer research and precision medicine.