The European Research Council has awarded a Proof of Concept grant to the CIC bioGUNE center to develop bispecific antibodies capable of revolutionizing immunotherapy treatments for cancer. Leading this research are Ikerbasque researchers Jesús Jiménez-Barbero, Scientific Director of CIC bioGUNE and leader of the Chemical Glycobiology group, and June Ereño-Orbea, leader of the Cancer Glycoimmunology Laboratory.
The project, "Bispecific Bi-paratopic Antibodies for the Treatment of Cancer," aims to improve cancer immunotherapy. While immune checkpoint inhibitors have been a breakthrough, more than 70% of patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) do not respond to treatments such as PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors. One of the reasons is that tumor cells produce sialic acid glycans, which block the immune response by binding to Siglec receptors.
Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is one of the most aggressive and difficult-to-treat cancer types and remains one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths worldwide. In this context, the CIC bioGUNE team, supported by the ERC Proof of Concept grant, is working on the design of bispecific antibodies that target two epitopes of the same immune checkpoint receptor, blocking its immunosuppressive function. This strategy has the potential to reactivate the immune system and overcome the limitations of current treatments, offering new therapeutic alternatives for patients resistant to conventional therapies.
The project includes the engineering, structural characterization, and functional validation of these antibodies, as well as preclinical studies in NSCLC models to evaluate their efficacy. Additionally, the ERC Proof of Concept grant will allow the exploration of the commercial potential of this development, with the goal of bringing bispecific antibodies to clinical application. The research team will also work on patent applications and collaborations with pharmaceutical companies to ensure technology transfer to the market.
With this initiative, CIC bioGUNE takes an important step in cancer research, opening new perspectives for the treatment of patients resistant to conventional therapies, especially those with non-small cell lung cancer and other tumors.
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