Nano-assisted digitalizing of cancer phenotyping for immunotherapy

Introduction

Every day cancer takes about 30,000 lives worldwide, despite multiple treatments developed in the last 50 years. A true revolution in therapy is demonstrated by immuno-oncology, which relies on multiple routes to activate the immune system, using e.g. Chimeric Antigen Receptors and checkpoint inhibitors.

Current Challenges

Although demonstrating success in the treatment of e.g. lymphoma, the percentage of patients responding to immunotherapy is less than 30%. Furthermore, the activation of the immune system does not happen at no cost, leading to severe autoimmune reactions, sometimes with lethal consequences.

Key Question

Therefore, the main question of clinicians is: how to efficiently predict the response/no-response of the patient to immunotherapy? At present, there is no predictive technological platform combining both highly sensitive analysis of cancer immunity and the planning of the strategy for potential therapy.

Conceptual Framework

I consider cancer as a smart self-adapting machine that plays its own set of rules:

1. It generates and quenches biochemical signals.
2. It initiates iterative loops.
3. It builds up feedback controls to create an immune suppressive environment.

My idea is to digitalize these mechanisms.

Project Overview

‘ImmunoChip’ will develop a device combining microfluidics with a specific nanosensory network to study elements of the cancer-immunity cycle. This will bring a new dimension to the field of preclinical immunotherapeutic cancer phenotyping.

Data Collection

The information about the immunosuppressive activity of the cancer microenvironment, immune checkpoints, T cells, and the efficiency of immunotherapy will be collected into respective data patterns.

Expected Outcomes

The developed ‘ImmunoChip’ platform will help to answer the following questions:

• Can the patient be treated with immunotherapy?
• How does the tumor protect itself?
• Which immunotherapy to use?

I am sure that improved decision-making in immunotherapy will lead to transformative treatment results for more patients and will help to save more lives.