Abstract
Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is an aggressive cancer of the pleural lining of the thoracic
cavity, mainly caused by historical asbestos exposure. MPM is characterised by a long latency period
(30-50 years) between initial asbestos exposure and diagnosis; the latter often delayed due to nonspecific
symptoms which manifest at advanced stage. This delay leaves patients with a poor
prognosis, with a median survival of 9-11 months. In recent years, immune checkpoint blockade
(ICB) therapy emerged as a promising treatment modality for MPM. Unfortunately, despite an
improvement in the outcome of ICB responders, the number of responders remains low, urging the
need for predictive biomarkers. To this end, a new type of biomarker, volatile organic compounds
(VOCs), has been discovered in exhaled breath. Preliminary work showed that VOCs could
differentiate 12 responders from 6 non-responders to MPM treatment (chemo- and immunotherapy)
with 89% accuracy. However, whether these differences in VOCs arise from treatment itself or if they
reflect the tumour's response to treatment is yet to be determined. The goal of this research is hence
to investigate the dynamics of these biomarkers in MPM mice treated with ICB and correlating their
presence with specific immune profiles. The origin of the VOCs could be determined and
mechanistically linked to immune responses and ultimately lead to a non-invasive test to optimize
personalised therapy.
Researcher(s)
Research team(s)
Project type(s)