INTEGRAL - Integrating a multimodal approach to address current challenges in immunotherapy

Utilizing the immune system or components thereof has grown to be a powerful therapeutic
option in cancer, both in a therapeutic and a preventive vaccination setting. Moreover, success
stories and market opportunities for immunotherapies are building up in other disease areas
beyond cancer, including autoimmune, infectious and neurodegenerative diseases. However,
not all patients respond equally well to immune-based therapies, highlighting the need for both
improved immunotherapies and improved screening. To tackle this, the IOF-GEAR consortium
INTEGRAL is offering new and improved immune-based and immune-oriented molecular
therapies (ACTIVATION of immune response) or cell-based therapies (to REPLACE or
complement immune cells). These are combined with offering tools for negating
immunosuppressive cues (MODULATION), steering drug development (MODE OF ACTION
analysis of therapy and of therapy resistance mechanisms) and driving patient selection and
monitoring of therapy response (via in vivo IMAGING). INTEGRAL leverages the
complementary offering of expertise, know-how, knowledge and technologies of the
consortium promotors at 3 research groups of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel:
* Jo Van Ginderachter, Damya Laoui, Kiavash Movahedi, Eva Hadadi, Geert Raes and Benoit
Stijlemans from the Brussels Center for Immunology (BCIM);
* Karine Breckpot and Lorenzo Franceschini from the Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular
Therapy (LMCT) at the Translational Oncology Research Center (TORC);
* Nick Devoogdt, Tony Lahoutte, Timo De Groof, Jens Debacker, Matthias D’Huyvetter and
Cleo Goyvaerts from the Molecular Imaging and Therapy (MITH) group.