CaixaImpulse Innovation in Health finances two i3S projects
The new CaixaImpulse Innovation in Health programme, from the “la Caixa” Foundation, in partnership with the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) and in collaboration with BPI, has funded nine Portuguese biomedical research projects, two of which were from i3S.
In this year’s competition for the CaixaImpulse Innovation in Health Programme, which in Portugal is carried out in partnership with the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) and in collaboration with BPI, €3.4 million was awarded to 29 projects from Portugal and Spain. The funding awarded to the i3S totalled €100,000.
The projects will receive between €50,000 and €500,000 over the next two years. In this edition, 16 projects were part of phase 1 (up to €50,000); 11 were in phase 2 (up to €150,000); and 2 were in phase 3 (up to €500,000). The two i3S projects funded by this programme are in phase 1, i.e. they are in a “proof of concept creation phase” following scientific discoveries.
Improving Taxol treatment in breast cancer
Called “New drugs that modulate tubulin modifications to enhance Taxol treatment in breast cancer”, the consortium led by Sónia Silva (researcher in the i3S “Chromosome Instability & Dynamics” group) includes researcher Helder Maiato (also from the i3S), and researcher Fernanda Borges (from the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Porto - FCUP).
Sónia Silva’s project focuses on microtubules, Microtubules are polymeric structures that play a crucial role in cellular processes and are often dysregulated in tumour cells, making them a very effective target for oncological treatments. According to the i3S researcher, “drugs such as Taxol that target these structures alter their normal function, preventing tumour cells from dividing and proliferating, and are therefore effective in chemotherapy treatments. However, these drugs are associated with serious side effects and tumours often develop resistance to these types of drugs, leading to metastases, which continue to be the main cause of patient mortality.”
In recent research, the team developing this project discovered a causal relationship between specific modifications of tubulins, the building blocks of microtubules, and the degree of sensitivity of tumour cells to Taxol. This project, explains Sónia Silva, “aims to identify new compounds that can alter a critical modification undergone by tubulins, thus increasing their sensitivity to Taxol-based chemotherapy.” The ultimate goal, the researcher emphasises, “is to develop new, more effective, personalised treatment strategies to treat breast cancer, while simultaneously reducing the side effects of Taxol.”
An in vitro platform for the early diagnosis of HDGC
Also funded with approximately €50,000, the project led by Daniel A. Ferreira focuses on the early diagnosis of hereditary diffuse gastric cancer (HDGC), a rare disease diagnosed in approximately 50,000 people per year worldwide. It predisposes affected individuals to highly aggressive forms of gastric and breast cancer that are difficult to detect and treat, resulting in a poor prognosis.
Hereditary mutations in the CDH1 gene, explains Daniel A. Ferreira, “are the main cause of disease in patients with HDGC. Current imaging technologies are unable to detect the early onset of CDH1-related gastric cancer, so for carriers of these mutations, the best available therapeutic strategy is preventive removal of the stomach. This radical approach saves lives, but has long-term health problems.”
The team has developed an in vitro platform that functions as an “avatar” of the patient. To achieve this, says the i3S researcher, “we combined organ-on-a-chip technology with cells derived from the patients themselves. This type of technology simulates the microenvironment and the main functional aspects of living organs on a microscopic scale.”
Using this platform, he adds, “the project will attempt to identify a panel of relevant biomarkers that can determine which patients are free of the disease and which have already begun to develop it.” The aim is to improve the management of HDGC, offering “a personalised approach for each patient, improving their quality of life and helping doctors decide on the best time to act, for risk-reducing surgery.” The expected results of this project, Daniel A. Ferreira stresses, “will lay the foundations for the future development of an immediate diagnostic device for better management of individuals at very high risk of developing the disease.”
About CaixaImpulse Innovation in Health
The CaixaImpulse Innovation in Health Programme was created in 2015 by the “la Caixa” Foundation. Since then, €24.7 million has been allocated and 231 projects have been supported, leading to the creation of 44 spinoffs and additional co-financing, through other competitions or from private investors, worth more than €100 million. Since its association with this programme in 2022, the FCT has directly supported four projects led by national institutions with approximately €218,000. This programme aims to contribute to the transfer of research results to society and the market and to foster the creation of new products, services and companies related to life sciences and health.