Leukaemia research supported by a donation from Plooschter Projet

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• Krebs
• Wechselwirkungen von Tumorstroma

The Luxembourgish non-profit association Plooschter Projet renews its financial support to leukemia research and funds a project from the TSI group of the LIH’s Department of Oncology, aiming to characterise in detail the identity and features of cells from the tumour microenvironment in chronic lymphocytic leukaemia.

On the occasion of the general assembly that took place on Saturday 11th of January 2020 in Sanem, the Plooschter Projet reaffirmed its wish to support leukaemia research in Luxembourg and made a generous donation of EUR 30,000 to the Tumour Stroma Interactions (TSI) group. The research group, led by Dr Etienne Moussay and Dr Jérôme Paggetti, investigates the mechanisms that promote cancer progression. The researchers work in particular on chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), the most common form of leukaemia characterised by the accumulation of abnormal B cells in the lymph nodes, blood and spleen. CLL cells make the surrounding cellular environment immunosuppressive to ensure their survival and proliferation. In such a microenvironment, effector T cells are no longer capable of mounting a potent immune response, while regulatory T cells reinforce the immune inhibitory effect.

The goal of the specific project supported by Plooschter Projet is to accurately characterise the cellular  microenvironment of the lymph nodes of CLL patients. This should be achieved by using a high-throughput imaging technique known as Imaging Mass Cytometry (IMC, Hyperion) in collaboration with the University of Bergen (Norway). A better understanding of T cell subtypes, their localisation and of the way their functions are subverted by tumour immune escape mechanisms will provide hints as to potential targets for new innovative immunotherapies.

The donation follows a previous EUR 18,000 funding by Plooschter Projet to the TSI group in 2019.