POCON SIGNED

Project "POCON" data sheet

The following table provides information about the project.

 Partnership

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 Project objective

In this ERC Proof-of-Concept project, we aim to demonstrate the technical and commercial feasibility of a nanobody to target Osteopontin (OPN) for (co)treatment of colorectal cancer (CRC). This proposed project builds further upon recent findings as part of the ERC CRCStemCellDynamics project, in which we showed that OPN plays an important role in clonal expansion and cancer stem cell functionality.

CRC accounts for ~10% of all cancers worldwide and forms a heavy financial burden for the EU healthcare system. The 5-year survival rate for patients with CRC is < 60% and for metastatic CRC (mCRC) patients even < 20%. Over the last 15 years, treatment options for CRC have been static and new therapies for CRC are urgently needed.

Findings from our lab indicates that a nanobody to block OPN would be an attractive approach for CRC (co)treatment. In this project we will 1) generate a therapeutic nanobody together with key experts in the field, 2) demonstrate efficacy of the nanobody in human CRC xenograft models, 3) compile a “data package” to attract partners for further financing towards commercialisation, 4) establish a solid business plan, including intellectual property (IP) protection, a market/competitor analysis and an exploitation plan, and 5) set up collaborations with pharmaceutical partners for (co)development and/or a licensing deal.