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Research project at the Medical Center - University of Freiburg develops animal-free method for assessing the safety of modern cancer therapies

Scientists at the Medical Center - University of Freiburg have received funding of one million pounds, the equivalent of around 1.17 million euros, as part of the British "Crack it" challenge. The team, led by Prof. Dr. Toni Cathomen, Director of the Institute of Transfusional Medicine and Genetherapy at the Medical Center - University of Freiburg, is researching an innovative approach to assessing the safety of modern cancer therapies. The new method is intended to help replace animal testing and improve the safety of so-called CAR-T cell therapy. The "Crack it" challenge funding program is offered annually by the British research organization NC3Rs with a maximum of one million pounds and aims to reduce animal testing.

Animal-free research for safer treatments

"We are delighted to have been awarded this substantial funding as part of the Crack It Challenge. This support enables us to do real pioneering work in cancer research," says Cathomen. The novel method will use artificial intelligence to identify biomarkers for the safety of CAR-T cells. The combination and classification of these markers should enable a more precise prediction and safety assessment of cell therapy.
"Research into new approaches and methods is needed to improve the treatment of cancer patients. The funding confirms the expertise of the Medical Center of University of Freiburg in the field of cancer medicine and its efforts to constantly develop it further," says Prof. Dr. Lutz Hein, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine - University of Freiburg and member of the Board of the Medical Center of Freiburg.

Training the body's own immune cells against cancer in the laboratory

CAR-T cell therapies are already being used for numerous cancers and offer great potential for the treatment of patients with previously incurable cancers. For this purpose, the body's own immune cells (T cells) are removed from patients and modified in the laboratory so that they recognize and fight cancer cells in a targeted manner. Research is still needed to minimize the likelihood of side effects and complications of this modern treatment method. Previous animal studies are invasive and require a long study period. "We hope that our research will make an important contribution to the safest and most individually tailored treatment possible for cancer patients. We expect the first results of the study in two years' time," says Cathomen.