Neoantigens and Cancer Vaccines - Núria de la Iglesia
Basic/translational research
IrsiCaixa, Institute for Research on Immunopathologies
·Badalona, Barcelona ·

The Neoantigens and Cancer Vaccines group (NeoVaCan) is part of the IrsiCaixa Institute for Research on Immunopathologies, a center dedicated to the study of diseasesrelated to the immune system, ranging from viral infections, such as HIV or SARS-CoV-2, to cancer.
Our group focuses on the identification and characterization of neoantigens and tumor-associated antigens, with the aim of developing therapeutic vaccines – personalized or “off-the-shelf” – and other immunotherapies specifically targeting these antigens. In collaboration with the Virology and Cellular Immunology group of IrsiCaixa, we are co-developing preventive and therapeutic vaccines using a proprietary platform based on Virus Like Particles (VLPs).

However, our approach goes beyond the mere discovery of immune targets:

  • We also study the host immune response to cancer through immunogenomic analysis of both tumor tissue and peripheral blood, with the aim of understanding the interaction between tumor cells and the immune system. To this end, we use multi-omics techniques combined with immune cell-based functional assays, which allow us to identify the cellular and molecular mechanisms that regulate both anti-tumor immune responses and immune evasion. This knowledge is essential to optimize vaccine design and select the most effective therapeutic combinations.
  • Although our neoantigen identification platform is adaptable to multiple cancer types, our main focus is pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). In this context, the role of the tumor microenvironment (TME) is crucial: rich in stroma, highly immunosuppressive and poorly infiltrated by immune cells. These features can limit the efficacy of therapeutic vaccines. For this reason, we investigate strategies to reprogram the pancreatic TME, focusing on a specific subpopulation of fibroblasts that promotes anti-tumor immunity through activation of the adaptive immune response.

 

https://www.irsicaixa.es/es/investigacion-e-innovacion/grupos-de-investigacion/neoantigenos-y-vacunas-contra-el-cancer-neovacan

Main publications in pancreatic cancer:

  1. Blanco-Heredia J, Souza CA, Trincado JL, Gonzalez-Cao M, Gonçalves-Ribeiro S, Gil SR, Pravdyvets D, Cedeño S, Callari M, Marra A, Gazzo AM, Weigelt B, Pareja F, Vougiouklakis T, Jungbluth AA, Rosell R, Brander C, Tresserra F, Reis-Filho JS, Tiezzi DG, de la Iglesia N, Heyn H, De Mattos-Arruda L. Converging and evolving immuno-genomic routes toward immune escape in breast cancer Nat Commun 2024;15(1):1302. doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-45292-1.
  2. Barajas A, Amengual-Rigo P, Pons-Grífols A, Ortiz R, Gracia Carmona O, Urrea V, de la Iglesia N, Blanco-Heredia J, Anjos-Souza C, Varela I, Trinité B, Tarrés-Freixas F, Rovirosa C, Lepore R, Vázquez M, de Mattos-Arruda L, Valencia A, Clotet B, Aguilar-Gurrieri C, Guallar V, Carrillo J, Blanco J Virus-like particle-mediated delivery of structure-selected neoantigens demonstrates immunogenicity and antitumoral activity in mice. J Transl Med 2024; 22(1):14. doi: 10.1186/s12967-023-04843-8.
  3. Esteve-Codina A, Alameda F, Carrato C, Pineda E, Arpí O, Martinez-García M, Mallo M, Gut M, Dabad M, Tortosa A, Del Barco S, Capellades J, Puig J, Gallego O, Pujol T, Oleaga L, Gil-Gil M, de Quintana-Schmidt C, Valduvieco I, Martinez-Cardús A, Bellosillo B, Muñoz-Marmol AM, Esteve A, Domenech M, Camins A, Craven-Bartle J, Villa S, Marruecos J, Domenech S, de la Iglesia N, Balana C. RNA Sequencing and immunohistochemistry reveal ZFN7 as a stronger marker of survival than molecular subtypes in G-CIMP-negative glioblastoma. Clin Cancer Res 2021; 27(2):645-655. doi: 10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-20-2141. Descripción: análisis inmunogenómico de la cohorte GLIOCAT para el estudio clínico-molecular del glioblastoma.
Núria de la Iglesia

Principal Investigator

Group members

  • Gustavo Rodríguez Esteban, PhD, Bioinformatician
  • Cristina Benítez Rodríguez, MSc, PhD student
  • Jérémy Tessier, MSc, Laboratory Technician
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