FRRB funds the Glastonbury Group to study the immune landscape of pancreatic cancer
The Glastonbury Group at Human Technopole has been awarded a competitive grant as part of the “From Bed To Bench: the way to innovation” funding programme promoted by the Fondazione Regionale per la Ricerca Biomedica (FRRB). The study, funded with 2.000.000 euros, 600.000 of which will go to the Glastonbury group directly, will begin in late 2025 and run for 3 years.
The project, entitled “Deciphering and targeting the immunological niche in PDAC”, addresses one of the most pressing challenges in oncology: the limited efficacy of immunotherapies in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). While cell-based therapies such as T cell receptor (TCR) or Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cells have transformed the treatment landscape for blood cancers, their success in solid tumours such as PDAC remains limited due to the complex and immunosuppressive tumour microenvironment.
To overcome this barrier, the Glastonbury Group will integrate spatial multi-omics, single-cell transcriptomics, and innovative machine learning approaches to map the immune landscape of PDAC in unprecedented detail. The ultimate goal is to identify novel therapeutic targets and develop next-generation engineered immune cells with improved efficacy in solid tumours.
Craig Glastonbury explains: “This project is highly interdisciplinary and translational. By leveraging cutting-edge advances in machine learning, single-cell and spatial transcriptomics, we aim to develop novel therapeutics for the treatment of PDAC.“
The project will leverage Human Technopole’s National Facilities for Genomics and Light Imaging and will be carried out in collaboration with Prof. Renato Ostuni, Prof. Chiara Bonini and Prof. Stefano Crippa at IRCCS San Raffaele.
This FRRB collaborative research call aims to promote biomedical research in personalised and precision medicine by fostering partnerships among the Lombardy healthcare system, universities, and research centres. The funded projects focus on the translational cycle “from bedside to bench to bedside”, in which clinical insights guide laboratory research that in turn updates clinical practice to support innovation and continuous improvement in healthcare.
Share:
You could also like:
-
Automating the science of how microbes grow
Human Technopole researchers have developed Kinbiont, an open-source software that automates the analysis of microbial growth data and returns quantitative, interpretable models of microbial behaviour. The results are published in Nature Communications.
-
How the human genome condenses during cell division
As a result of an international collaboration, Human Technopole researchers identify M18BP1 as an activator of condensin II through a phosphorylation-regulated competition with MCPH1. This previously unknown mechanism fills a significant gap in our understanding of cell division and suggests avenues for exploring how its misregulation contributes to human disease. The results of the research are published in Molecular Cell.
-
Ageing and Chronic Diseases: Europe Rewards Human Technopole’s Research
The ERC has awarded HT a €2.5 million grant for a study investigating how lifestyle, biology and environmental exposures weaken the immune system over the course of life and increase vulnerability to disease in old age. This new knowledge will help develop models to predict long-term disease risk.
-
HT National Facilities: One Year On, New Call Open
On 10 June, Human Technopole marks the one-year anniversary of the official opening of its National Facilities, a key milestone in our mission to support excellence in life sciences across Italy. Celebrating this important date, we are pleased to announce that the new Call for Access to the National Facilities is now open. Researchers can submit their proposals until 30 September 2025.
-
1 fully-funded PhD Position in the Jug Group through DADS
Are you passionate about AI, cutting-edge research, and making a real impact in biomedical science? The Jug Group at Human Technopole is thrilled to announce a new PhD opportunity as part of the prestigious PhD Programme in Data Analytics and Decision Sciences.