Titolo progetto: Proof Of Concept (POC) - Proteoglycan-4 as coadjuvant treatment to overcome resistance to sorafenib and Regorafenib in patients with Hepatocellular carcinoma

Programma di finanziamento: PNRR M6/C2 2023

Responsabile scientifico: prof. Gianluca Tell

Ruolo del DAME: partner

Descrizione generale:

Sorafenib and regorafenib are the drugs most commonly used in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), providing a disease control rate of approximately 40% of cases. Nevertheless, 30% of patients develop resistance to treatment.

Recently, we have demonstrated that an extracellular matrix component, named Proteoglycan-4 (PRG4), physiologically present in the body, works as a novel tumor-suppressive agent by strengthening sorafenib and regorafenib effects in "in vitro" models of HCC. Based on this finding, we have deposited a patent for the development of PRG4 as an adjuvant agent to overcome resistance to Sorafenib and Regorafenib. This project aims to develop the scientific prototype as follows: 1) to investigate the effectiveness of PRG4 in combination with Sorafenib and Regorafenib in in vivo models; 2) to investigate the effectiveness of PRG4 on immune cells infiltrating HCC; 3) to individuate the shorter aminoacidic sequence mimicking the PRG4 adjuvant effectiveness.

Partner del progetto:

• Ente Ospedaliero specializzato in gastroenterologia Saverio De Bellis
• IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital
• Biogem scarl
• Università degli Studi di Udine

Date inizio e fine progetto: 00.00.2024 – 00.00.2000

Budget totale del progetto: 1.183.000,00 €

Budget Uniud:  246.000,00 €

Sito web: pnrr.salute.gov

Finanziato dall’Unione europea – Next Generation EU – PNRR M6C2 - Investimento 2.1 Valorizzazione e potenziamento della ricerca biomedica del SSN