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Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), while not among the most common cancers, remains one of the deadliest and most treatment-resistant tumors, with a five-year survival rate of just 10 –11%.
The Fraunhofer Institute for Biomedical Engineering IBMT with its expertise in the development of customized nanoparticles is part of the international consortium.
Despite the introduction of new treatment options, the standard of care has seen little progress over the past three decades, and overall survival still ranges between 6 and 12 months. This poor prognosis is largely due to the tumor’s inherent resistance to chemotherapy and radiotherapy, driven in part by cancer stem cells (CSCs) with unique transcriptional profiles regulated by epigenetic and epitranscriptomic mechanisms.
Reprogramming the tumor’s epitranscriptomic landscape and sensitize it to standard chemotherapy
The REACH project aims address to this challenge by exploring the largely uncharted field of PDAC epitranscriptomics, particularly the role of N6-methyladenosine (m6A) modifications in regulating chemoresistance. By using tumor-targeting nanoparticles to deliver modulators of m6A »writers«, »erasers« and »readers« directly to PDAC cells and CSCs, REACH seeks to reprogram the tumor’s epitranscriptomic landscape and sensitize it to standard chemotherapy.
This approach will be tested in advanced preclinical models, including patient-derived xenografts and 3D cultures, with the ultimate goal of translating these findings into effective, personalized therapies that could significantly extend survival for patients with this devastating disease.
Fraunhofer IBMT expertise in the synthesis of nanoparticles
The Fraunhofer IBMT will contribute its many years of experience in the synthesis, modification, and characterization of nanomaterials to this challenging project. The focus will be on the design and adaptation of nanoparticles. These will be modified so that the encapsulated modulators can reach the tumor in a targeted manner and take effect there. The nanoparticles will be characterized at the institute using established methods and then made available to the project partner for further experiments.
Experienced REACH project consortium
The REACH project, “Reversing Epitranscriptomic Alterations for CHemosensitization of Pancreatic Cancer”, led by Ramón y Cajal Health Research Institute (IRYCIS) with Dr. Bruno Sainz Anding as coordinator was selected for funding, awarded with around 1.3 M€.
REACH is funded within the TRANSCAN 3 Joint Transnational Call for Proposals 2023 “Translational research on cancer epigenetics” and it is made up of a consortium of 5 institutions distributed in 4 different countries. Its principal researchers are Dr. Bozena Smolkova from the Slovak Academy of Sciences (Slovakia), Dr. Sylvia Wagner/Dr. Michael Gepp from the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der angewandten Forschung e. V., Fraunhofer-Institute for Biomedical Engineering IBMT (Germany), Dr. Vita Rovite from the Latvian Biomedical Research and Study Centre (Latvia) and Dr. Justo Castaño from Maimonides Biomedical Research Institute of Córdoba (Spain).
The project, which will be active for 36 months, has already held its kick off meeting in April 2025 in Madrid, home to the coordinator institution, gathering researchers from all across Europe and fostering collaboration, knowledge exchange and setting the pillars for the careful strategic planning required to successfully implement the REACH project and maximize its impact on society.
Contact at Fraunhofer IBMT
Dr. Sylvia Wagner
Telephone +49 6897 9071-274
sylvia.wagner@ibmt.fraunhofer.de
Dr. Michael Gepp
Telephone +49 6897 9071-935
michael.gepp@ibmt.fraunhofer.de
https://www.ibmt.fraunhofer.de/en.html
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