INTeRCePT: Intercept clonal evolution to overcome treatment resistance in childhood and adult blood cancer

Problem: High relapse rate and development of therapy resistance in blood cancer treatment.

Goal: Reduce relapse rate through optimized treatment strategies based on the molecular signature of tumor and immune cells.

The research team led by Thorsten Zenz aims to determine which therapies work best for both children and adults with blood cancer. To this end, an “Innovation Clinic” is being established in Zurich for patients affected by relapse. Analyses of tumor material and healthy blood cells make it possible to create a detailed map of therapy response at the single-cell level. This enhances the understanding of how tumor and healthy immune cells behave and respond to various treatments.

For use in clinical practice, a simplified testing method is being developed – the so-called “INTeRCePT Assay”. This method is designed to provide all the key information that oncologists need for treatment decisions, despite its reduced complexity. The assay is being validated in clinical studies and tested for practical applicability. The goal of this novel precision oncology approach is to increase patient therapy response rates by 50%.

Groups involved:

• Thorsten Zenz:Department of Medical Oncology and Hematology, University Hospital Zurich
• Burkhard Becher: Institute of Experimental Immunology, University of Zurich
• Nico Beerenwinkel: Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zurich
• Jean-Pierre Bourquin: Oncology, University Children’s Hospital Zurich
• Stefanie Kreutmair: Department of Medical Oncology and Hematology, University Hospital Zurich
• Wolfgang Huber: Quantitative Biology and Statistics, EMBL Heidelberg
• Andreas Moor: Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zurich
• Berend Snijder: Department of Biology, ETH Zurich