Title: Image-guided cancer gene therapy in combination with advanced chemotherapeutics

Funding: EEA and Norwegian Financial Mechanisms 2009-2014 Programme LV05 “Research and Scholarships”

Project No.: NFI/R/2014/051

Period: 24 months (1st May 2015 – 30st April 2017)

Participants:

Latvian Biomedical Research and Study Centre

Oslo University Hospital

Latvian Institute of Organic Synthesis

Project costs: 478 440,00 EUR (BMC – 150 000,00 EUR; OUH – 188 440,00 EUR; OSI – 140 00,00 EUR)

Principle investigator: Dr.biol. Anna Zajakina

Contacts:

Project Investigator, Coordinator Dr.biol. Anna Zajakina (BMC) – anna@biomed.lu.lv

Activity Manager Alexandre Corthay, PhDy (OUH) – alexandre.corthy@ibv.uio.no

Activity Manager Dr.habil.chem Gunars Duburs   (LOSI) – gduburs@osi.lv

Project Manager (BMC) Ieva Rozenberga (BMC) – ieva.rozenberga@biomed.lu.lv

The project presents a new collaborative research initiative between Oslo University Hospital, Latvian Biomedical Research and Study Centre and Latvian Institute of Organic Synthesis. Our main objective is to perform preclinical evaluation of a novel therapeutic strategy against cancer cells based on combination of chemotherapeutic drugs with viral gene therapy vectors. We propose to apply novel alphaviral vectors encoding cytokines, which able to stimulate tumor-associated macrophage (TAM) infiltration into the tumor and induction of pro-inflammatory microenvironment to block tumor recovery after chemotherapy. The outcomes of treatment will be monitored using advanced imaging technologies including bioluminescent and fluorescent imaging. The project will contribute to research excellence both in Latvia and Norway and will stimulate the development of innovative therapies urgently needed to improve the standard therapeutic approaches for cancer.