The project “DeCellMab: Trifunctional antibodies and dendritic cell-based technologies: a combined approach to cancer immunotherapy” has won the 2013 edition of the Bluepharma / Universidade de Coimbra Innovation Award. FCT researchers Angelina Sá Palma and Ana Luísa Carvalho from the Macromolecular Crystallography & GlycoLab Group of UCIBIO, (FCT-UNL Chemistry Department) integrate the winning team, headed by researcher Paula Videira, from FCM-UNL.
The winning project proposes the development of an antibody capable of recognizing a glycosidic antigen present in more than 80% of human carcinomas, including breast, stomach, pancreas and bladder cancers, while absent from normal cells. This tumoral antigen is expressed in the early stage of the tumor, which makes it an excellent candidateto target in the early stages of malignancy and in this way control the progression of the disease. The development of antibodies that simultaneously attack the cancer cells and activate the immune system to eliminate the tumor, emerges as a new strategy for treatment of cancer and was the basis for electing this project application. The prize money of 20,000 euros will support the development of the Proof of Concept that will allow to demonstrate the viability for application. This support may be supplemented with 30,000 euros, once market viability is guaranteed. According to the President of Juri, Fernando Seabra Santos, Full Professor and former Rector of the University of Coimbra, “for choosing the winning project, we have considered, among other evaluation criteria, the merit, the originality, the innovation and the high interest for Society". The quality of the team involved, the net cooperation and the scientific merit of the proposal were the main differentiating factors.