IPPON strongly invests in the development of novel targeted therapeutic strategies and synergistic combination therapies by a fundamental, translational and clinical approach.
To develop potential new targeted combination treatments, the interaction of chemotherapy, radiotherapy and targeted therapy is investigated by looking at different factors, including
- treatment concentrations
- cancer cell lines
- treatment schedule
To unravel the underlying molecular mechanism, other factors are investigated, including
- cell cycle
- apoptosis
- protein expression
- signal transduction pathways
Cytotoxic agents are investigated in a 3D in vitro setting under normal and hypoxic conditions, taking the tumor microenvironment into account. The most promising in vitro combinations are further studied in vivo.
Clinical validation of the preclinical data is crucial, since molecular tumor profiles can be established from cancer patient material. The link with clinical patient data is imperative before moving on with further preclinical investigation of novel combination strategies.
Following thorough preclinical studies of new targeted combination strategies, those with clinical potential will be candidates for clinical trials.
The current focuses of IPPON:
- Combination strategies to enhance treatment responses in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma and non-small cell lung carcinoma.
- Combination strategies of chemotherapy with natural compounds to improve therapeutic outcome, prolong survival and reduce adverse side effects.