Objective
Chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy is a breakthrough immunotherapy for aggressive blood cancers. With >250 companies active in the field, >1,200 CAR- T variants in clinical development, and a market exceeding $5B, CAR-T therapies represent an expanding biomedical sector. However, despite response rates of up to 90%, long-term remissions remain limited (30–40%), and efficacy in solid tumors remains poor, highlighting a major unmet medical need. Improving CAR-T cell potency, persistence, and functionality thus remains a central challenge. My ERC project CIRCADYN uncovered a previously unrecognised mechanism in regulating immune responses and immunotherapy efficacy. Building on these findings, we developed a novel strategy, termed cirCAR-T, which enhances CAR-T cell performance without additional genetic modification. Preliminary data demonstrate up to a 10-fold increase in tumor cell killing and up to a 9-fold increase in antigen-driven CAR-T cell proliferation. This Proof-of-Concept project will de-risk the translational potential of cirCAR-T through three complementary objectives: (i) demonstrating functional benefits in more physiologically relevant solid tumor contexts and evaluating initial safety signals; (ii) establishing a knowledge-transfer strategy through expert consultation to clarify regulatory classification, intellectual-property options, freedom-to-operate considerations, and (iii) mapping the most efficient commercialization pathways. Together, these activities will determine the feasibility of developing cirCAR-T as a novel enabling technology to enhance CAR-T cell potency and persistence and support their expansion toward broader clinical applications, including solid tumors.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- medical and health sciences medical biotechnology genetic engineering
- medical and health sciences clinical medicine oncology
- medical and health sciences basic medicine immunology immunotherapy
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Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-ERC-POC - HORIZON ERC Proof of Concept Grants
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2026-POC
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
1211 Geneve
Switzerland
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.