Les lauréats de l'appel à projets Grants 2020

Tous les deux ans, la Fondation contre le Cancer lance un appel à projets destiné aux chercheurs en oncologie, pour financer la recherche fondamentale, translationnelle et clinique. Cette année, 63 projets innovants et prometteurs, issus des diverses universités et institutions hospitalières du pays, ont été sélectionnés. Ils se partageront 23,8 millions d’euros.

Ce financement a été réparti comme suit:

• En recherche fondamentale : 30 projets sélectionnés pour un montant global de 13 284 989 €.
• En recherche translationnelle et clinique : 27 projets sélectionnés pour un montant global de 8 745 680 €.
• L’appel relatif aux cancers liés à l’exposition à l’amiante a permis de sélectionner 6 projets pour un montant global de 1 771 000 €.

Recherche fondamentale: 30 projets - 13 284 989 €

• Aerts Stein,  KU Leuven
  • OncoAI - a machine-learning framework to predict cancer cell vulnerability at the gene-regulatory level

• Berx Geert, UGent
  • Defining the role of ZEB1 in tumour initiation and progression of basal-like breast cancer
• Blanpain Cédric, ULB
  • Defining the mechanisms of clonal competition upon oncogenic transformation
• Bollen Mathieu, KU Leuven

• Phospho-regulation at the crossroads of cell proliferation and DNA-damage control

• Carmeliet Geert, KU Leuven
  • Metabolic vulnerability of breast tumor cells during bone metastasis formation
• Chariot Alain, ULiège

• Oncogenic tRNA modifications and their targets

• Close Pierre, ULiège

• Codon translation reprogramming through tRNA modification in cancer

• Declercq Wim, UGent

• Dissecting the role of RIPK4 in skin cancer

• De Keersmaecker Kim, KU Leuven
  • Serine/glycine synthesis addiction in acute lymphoblastic leukemia and resulting therapeutic opportunities
• De Preter Katleen, UGent
  • Characterizing regulatory heterogeneity in high-risk neuroblastoma

• Detours Vincent, ULB

• Reappraisal of cancer morphology and its cellular and transcriptional determinants with unsupervised artificial intelligence, single nuclei and spatial transcriptomics

• De Wever Olivier, UGent
  • Impact of cancer-associated fibroblasts and their secretome on innate-adaptive immune cross-talk upon irradiation
• Feron Olivier, UCLouvain
  • To reconcile the location of tumor microenvironment-driven mesenchymal-like cancer cells and their contribution to cancer progression
• Fuks François, ULB
  • Unravelling the role of epitranscriptomics in aggressive breast cancer by means of innovative technologies
• Halder Georg, KU Leuven
  • Suppressing the evolution of liver cancer into highly aggressive forms
• Jacquemin Patrick, UCLouvain
  • Identification of pancreatic cell types in the origin of human pancreatic cancer
• Laoui Damya, VUB & Aboubakar Frank, UCLouvain
  • cDC2s: new players in the tumor microenvironment and cancer immunotherapy

• Lucas Sophie, UCLouvain
  • Deciphering molecular and cellular mechanisms of action of anti-GARP:TGF-β1 therapy

• Mazzone Massimiliano, KU Leuven
  • Arachidonic acid metabolism, a cross point between "bad" and "good" macrophages in cancer: a novel therapeutic perspective?
• Oberdan Leo, ULB
  • Reversing T cell exhaustion by NAD elevating agents
• Rapino Francesca, ULiège
  • “tRNA actors” heterogeneity: a new identifier of cancer stem cells
• Swinnen Johan, KU Leuven
  • Exploiting acquired vulnerabilities in fatty acid metabolism to overcome therapy resistance in castration resistant prostate cancer
• Taghon Tom, UGent
  • Unraveling the role of GATA3 in BCP-ALL
• Tejpar Sabine, KU Leuven
  • Coevolution of epithelium and immune response in colorectal cancer: comprehensive longitudinal analysis and manipulation of crosstalk leading to exhausted responses in dedicated mouse models
• Thienpont Bernard, KU Leuven
  • Inhibiting resistance acquisition by epigenetically altering tumour heterogeneity
• Vandenabeele Peter, UGent
  • Improving cancer therapy by modulating cell death and the microbiome in the gut
• Van den Broeke Anne, Institut Bordet & Georges Michel, ULiège
  • Tracking tumor evolution and drivers of oncogenic switch: lessons from single cells, viruses and sheep
• Van Ginderachter Jo, VUB
  • Selective elimination of tumor-infiltrating regulatory T cells via IL-1R2 targeting
• Van Gastel Nick, de Duve Institute
  • Understanding metabolic crosstalk in the leukemic bone marrow niche
• Vereecke Lars, UGent
  • Studying the microbiota-immune-tumor axis in colorectal cancer using germfree and gnotobiotic mouse technology

Recherche translationnelle et clinique: 27 projets - 8 745 680 € 

• Albersen Maarten, KU Leuven
  • Developing personalized treatment for advanced penile cancer trough establishment of Patient-Derived Tumor Xenografts (PDTXs)
• Berx Geert, UGent
  • Preclinical validation of novel plastistatic therapy for malignant colon cancer
• Borbath Ivan, UCLouvain & Peeters Marc, UAntwerpen & Van Laethem Jean-Luc, ULB Erasme & Van Cutsem Eric, KU Leuven
  • SAFIR-ABC10: molecular screening for precision medicine in advanced biliary cancers
• Bormans Guy, KU Leuven
  • Peptide based CXCR4 targetting for PET imaging and radionuclide therapy
• Caers Jo, ULiège
  • Novel antigen identification for multiple myeloma
• Cools Jan, KU Leuven
  • PSEN1-selective gamma-secretase inhibition for the treatment of T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia
• Creytens David, UGent & Hernot Sophie, VUB
  • Peroperative ex vivo cancer margin detection using fluorescence labelled single-domain antibodies
• De Neve Wilfried, UGent & Van Gestel Dirk, ULB-Bordet & Remouchamps Vincent, CHU Namur-UCLouvain
  • Maximizing the ratio of radiotherapy survival benefit over radiation-related morbidity and mortality in patients requiring breast and regional lymph nodes treatment. A multicenter study using the prone crawl radiotherapy technique
• Desmedt Christine, KU Leuven & Vermeulen Peter, GZA Sint-Augustinus & Donckier de Donceel Vincent, ULB-Bordet
  • Clinical, experimental and molecular characterization of liver metastases from breast cancer patients
• Flamen Patrick, ULB-Bordet
  • Molecular imaging of cancer-associated fibroblasts in NSCLC treated with immune-checkpoint inhibitors
• Gallez Bernard, UCLouvain
  • Characterization of skin melanomas by Electron Paramagnetic Resonance
• Humblet-Baron Stéphanie, KU Leuven
  • In-depth investigation of patient immune signature after CD19 CAR T-cell therapy
• Kridelka Frédéric, ULiège
  • Lymph node profiling in advanced cervical cancer
• Lambrechts Diether, KU Leuven
  • Alternative RNA splicing as a predictor of response to checkpoint immunotherapy
• Nuyts Sandra, KU Leuven
  • Prediction of RT response in head and neck cancers by assessment of the clonal repopulation dynamics
• Piccart Martine, ULB, Bordet
  • AURORA - Aiming to Understand the Molecular Aberrations in Metastatic Breast Cancer
• Sotiriou Christos, ULB, Bordet
  • Mapping tumor and immune cell architecture in TNBC using spatial transcriptomics and single nuclei sequencing
• Speleman Franki, UGent
  • Scrutinizing selective Aurora kinase A inhibition as a novel therapeutic strategy for neuroblastoma
• Sprangers Ben, KU Leuven
  • Developing approaches to allow the safe and effective use of checkpoint inhibitors in solid organ transplant patients
• Taghon Tom, UGent
  • Functional characterization and expansion of thymus seeding precursors in human
• Topal Baki, KU Leuven
  • Effects of immunotherapy on the cellular landscape and immune milieu in locally advanced pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma
• Van Craenenbroeck Emeline, UAntwerpen
  • Discovering the role of titin (TTN) in anthracycline-induced cardiac dysfunction in breast cancer
• Van den Eynde Marc, UCLouvain & Carrasco Javier, GHdC & Liberale Gabriele, ULB-Bordet & Raes Jeroen, VIB
  • The microbiome in colorectal metastases: nature and impact on local immune and inflammatory response, disease evolution and response to therapy
• Vanhaudenhuyse Audrey, ULiège
  • Hypnosis and cognitive trance on cancer patients: impact on quality of life and neurophysiology
• Vandekerckhove Bart, UGent
  • Improving Neo-epitope Identification in lung cancer patients using Mass spectrometry and Next generation sequencing (INI-M&N)
• Wildiers Hans, KU Leuven
  • Mechanisms involved in metastasis of luminal breast cancer
• Wyns Christine, UCLouvain
  • Fertility restoration after cancer in young boys: creating an artificial testis

 Amiante: 6 projets - 1 771 000 € 

• Feron Olivier, UCLouvain
  • In situ induction of immunogenic cell death to boost DC-based immunotherapy of peritoneal mesothelioma
• Halder Georg, KU Leuven
  • Understanding the anti-cancer effects of new YAP/TAZ inhibitors to treat malignant mesothelioma
• Janssens Veerle, KU Leuven
  • Protein Phosphatase 2A dysfunctions in malignant pleural mesothelioma: oncogenic mechanisms and therapeutic opportunities
• Lion Eva, UAntwerpen & Germonpré Paul, AZ Middelares & Valcke Yvan, AZ Niklaas
  • Boosting the response rate to standard treatment with upfront dendritic cell vaccination in patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma
• Van Camp Guido, UAntwerpen
  • Towards a novel generation detection biomarkers for malignant pleural mesothelioma in clinical practice
• Van Meerbeeck Jan, UAntwerpen & Naeckaerts Kristiaan, KU Leuven & Surmont Veerle, UGent
  • Mesobreath 5: assessing the clinical utility of a breath test for pleural mesothelioma