BioMed X announced the start of a new research project in partnership with Merck at its site in Heidelberg, Germany. The main objective of the project is to develop novel immunotherapeutic strategies to overcome the immunosuppressive microenvironment of solid tumors. Independent of tumor indication, the general immunogenicity of a tumor is positively correlated with a better prognosis and a more robust response to immune checkpoint blockade.

The current paradigm envisions tumor mutations as one of the sources of immunogenic neoantigens, which are expressed and presented on the surface of the tumor cells and recognized by the immune system to mount an effective anti-tumor response. The main objective of this research group is to identify how the DNA damage response (DDR) can be harnessed to increase the immunogenicity of tumor cells. The final goal is to design novel therapeutic approaches that promote a favorable tumor microenvironment for immunotherapies.