ARES – Against bRain cancEr: finding personalized therapies with in Silico and in vitro strategies

he project aims to develop an innovative approach for the therapy and personalized treatment of Glioblastoma (GBM), one of the most aggressive tumors affecting the human brain. Unfortunately, the currently available treatments are unable to completely eradicate the tumor, which is characterized by a highly invasive nature and the ability to develop resistance to standard post-operative treatments. Through the combination of various scientific and technological competencies, the partners have developed and integrated innovative experimental and computational techniques to identify an effective strategy to combat the disease.

By studying Glioblastoma Stem Cells (GSC) and with the support of an advanced technological platform to be developed during the project, innovative methods of analysis, evaluation, and treatment have been implemented and will be compared with the systems currently used in therapeutic practices.

RESULTS

• Implementation of a glioblastoma stem cell bank, new in vitro 3D models to study the invasiveness of GBM cells, and efficacy testing of molecules identified as candidates to block GBM invasiveness.
• Additionally, the following outputs with potential for future commercial use have been developed:
  • An integrated technological platform (ecosystem) to be used in the area of advanced health data services;
  • Diagnostic kits for in vitro prediction of therapy response.

OBJECTIVES

• Identification of new therapies capable of blocking the proliferative and invasive capacity of GBM tumor cells, with the potential to extend these therapies to lower-grade gliomas to find an effective cure even in the early stages of the disease;
• Development of new tests capable of predicting patients’ responses to drugs, enabling personalized therapy.

ARES was funded under the POR FESR 2014-2020 of the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region.