OPTATIO (OPtimizing TArgets y Therapeutics n alto riesgo y refractan ryOmieloma múltiple) es un proyecto de la UE en el marco Programa 7 y reúne la experiencia de doce instituciones de Alemania, Austria, la República Checa, Italia, Hungría y España .PharmaMar , uno de los Socios del Proyecto , proporcionará extractos y compuestos puros de su extenso y único marine derivan biblioteca compuesta que se proyectarán en los innovadores sistemas in vitro e in vivo a desarrollarse en el contexto de MM, interacción de estroma y análisis de resistencia a drogas. Actividades identificadas en extractos crudos se seguirá mediante fraccionamiento preparatoria y vuelva a probar de las muestras.
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CORDIS . 2013 - 03 - 06
.... OPTATIO is pursuing a unique strategy to break through this protective shield to enable better cancer treatment. In so doing, marine-based active substances are proving to be particularly attractive candidates as through evolution they have proven their capacity to survive in the chemical battles against marine organisms. Oncotyrol, one of the consortium partners, has developed test systems comprising cancer as well as connective tissue cells to better replicate the actual conditions in the human body.
Scientists from Prof. Lukas Huber's team have recently used 'in-vivo-like assays' to test hundreds of marine extracts as well as pure substances produced by Spanish biopharmaceutical company PharmaMar, another consortium partner. Of most importance in the screening process was the fact that the candidates kill the cancer cells while leaving the niche cells intact, according to Winfried Wunderlich of Oncotyrol.
"We are looking for substances which disable the protective influence of the stroma on the cancer cells but do not destroy the connective tissue cells themselves," explained Mr Wunderlich to members of an international consortium. Thus, researchers have made good progress in achieving promising screening results. Indeed, the results revealed that a considerable part of the examined extracts and pure substances selectively affect the tumour cells, that is to say they broke through the protective shield.
The aim of the project is to exploit the importance of interactions between multiple myeloma cells and the bone marrow micro-environment. These interactions play a vital role in the survival of tumour cells, the development of drug resistance and the progression of the disease. Principally, OPTATIO will develop new and innovative multiple myeloma treatment strategies by targeting not only the 'seed', but also the 'soil' of myelomagenesis, searching for compounds that have the capacity to interfere with this complex biological network.
The project team's next step is to make their test systems even more realistic and investigate the promising candidates in further co-culture and animal models, in co-operation with other partners, including the University of Würzburg.
The OPTATIO (OPtimizing TArgets and Therapeutics In high risk and refractOry Multiple Myeloma) is an EU Seventh Framework Programme project which brings together 12 European partners, institutions, SMEs and industrial partners from Austria, Germany, Czech Republic, Italy, Hungary, the United Kingdom and Spain. The three-year project, which is directed by Wolfgang Willenbacher of the Innsbruck Medical University, began in 2012 with a budget of EUR 4.3 million.
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