Project: Personalized multimodal therapies for the treatment of lung cancer

Acronym	PMT-LC (Reference Number: ERAPERMED2020-342)
Project Topic	Lung cancer is the number one cancer-related killer worldwide and less than 20% of patients survive five years. Current treatments for lung cancer are initially effective but acquisition of resistance almost inevitably occurs in most patients. As with effective HIV treatment, long-term cancer remission might be possible if multiple targets are addressed at a time. The main aim of the consortium is therefore to develop personalized multimodal treatments that combine individual oncogenic targets with additional anti-cancer compounds and in particular with anti-cancer immune therapy. To increase the efficacy of the consortium, we will strictly coordinate the research and focus on patients with individual K-RAS mutations. For optimal translation between basic research and clinical application, preclinical research will focus on genetically engineered mouse (GEM) tumor models that recapitulate common oncogenic lung cancer drivers (K-RAS mutations, p53 and LKB1 deficiency). These mice will be particularly useful to test novel personalized multimodal therapies and for gaining insight into levels of therapeutic efficacy and toxicity. In parallel, we will select lung cancer patients that harbour identical driver mutations, evaluate their immunological baselines, take biopsy samples and use these for patient derived xenograft (PDX) therapy validation. Since the final aim of the consortium is to develop effective personalized treatment for K-RAS mutated lung cancer patients, we plan a first investigator initiated clinical trial (IICT) for testing the most beneficial therapy in a very small number of pre-selected patients. Because personalized medicine raises novel ethical and socio-economic questions, one participating group will investigate how elevated treatment costs are socially justified (and may lead to a two-class medicine) and how normative concepts of individualized approaches in cancer therapy can be best implemented.
Network	ERA PerMed
Call	3rd Joint Transnational Call for Proposals (2020)

Project partner

Number	Name	Role	Country
1	University Medical Center, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz	Coordinator	Germany
2	Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO)	Partner	Spain
3	Faculty of Medicine, University of Thessaloniki	Partner	Greece
4	University Hospital 12 de Octubre	Partner	Spain
5	University Medical Center, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz	Partner	Germany