64.000 European citizens alone are diagnosed with a brain tumour annually with a median survival of less than 2 years due to the lack of targeted immunotherapy applications. Despite intensive research, the incidence and mortality rates did not change over the past 30 years.
Today is the #Glioblastoma Awareness Day (GBM-day), a day devoted to increasing public awareness of glioblastoma, the most recurrent and aggressive form of brain cancer. For this occasion, I’d like to take the opportunity to share one of the projects I have been working on:
GLIOMATCH is a #HorizonEurope R&I project with the ambition of pioneering targeted brain cancer treatment for adults and children. Since the start of this year, KU Leuven has led the GLIOMATCH consortium to develop a platform built with the help of extensive #clinicaltrials and a #DataDriven approach. The project will enable #immunology-based patient stratification by categorising individuals according to their immune system characteristics to customise treatments or interventions for more precise and effective healthcare strategies and make this technology accessible to clinicians.
Key facts:
· Received > €12.5 million in funding from the European Commission, SERI (CH) and UKRI (UK)
· 5-year duration
· A multidisciplinary consortium of 14 partners from 10 different member states (including clinical experts, medical practitioners, data scientists, health economists, and more)
· 8 pro – and retrospective clinical trials.
There are 3 key innovations behind the #GLIOMATCH treatment matching platform contributing to the European #MissionOnCancer and #EUCancerPlan:
🔬 An MRI Radio-Multiomics Digital Hub serving as a centralised platform for clinicians across Europe to upload diagnostic and follow-up #MRI scans of malignant brain tumour patients to get state-of-the-art insights into patient stratification, guidance towards personalised treatment, early detection of treatment efficacy/adverse effects, and longitudinal follow-up.
🧬A state-of-the-art spatio-temporal pathological model, to match eligible GBM/pHGG patients with the most suitable immunotherapeutic treatment schemes. This will be achieved using cutting-edge methods such as #deepimmunophenotyping, non-invasive radiological imaging, and extensive clinical #datamining of immuno-oncology-treated patient cohorts.
💾 An extensive, UNCAN.eu-compatible data lake able to incrementally add new data to enhance our understanding of why some patients respond to specific treatments while others do not.
I am very happy to have helped make this project come to life and in this way make an àctual difference. Shinjini Mukherjee and I will be leading the innovation management in the future, exciting! Thanks to all the consortium members for the seamless collaboration so far and a special thanks and congratulations to Prof. Frederik De Smet for this wonderful initiative and for leading this complex project!
#PrecisiOnoncology #PrecisionMedicine #DataScience
Today is Glioblastoma Awareness Day (GBM Day) 🧠
On 17 July 2024, we come together to recognise GBM Day, a crucial initiative established to shed light on one of the most aggressive forms of brain cancer.
🎗️ As part of our GLIOMATCH #GBMAwarenessCampaign, we have asked Cancer Patients Europe - CPE Chair and Patient Advocate Francisco Lozano to share his thoughts on the impacts of research and policy in the field.
On this day, we call for EU decision-makers to prioritise research and ensure equal access to the latest diagnostic tools and treatments across Europe. We are proud to be working towards improving the lives of all those affected by GBM and pHGG together with our GLIOMATCH project partners.
📢 Stand with us in advocating for change. Spread the word and support the campaign.
#GBMDay #BrainCancerResearch #BrainCancerAwareness
