The Plooschter Projet continues to support the LIH

• Donation
• Tumor Stroma Interactions
• Department of Cancer Research
• Cancer

On February 3^rd, the Luxembourgish non-profit association Plooschter Projet renewed its commitment to the Tumour Stroma Interactions group of the LIH Department of Cancer Research (DoCR) and its research on the detailed characterisation of the tumour microenvironment in chronic lymphocytic leukaemia.

For the fifth consecutive time since 2019, the Plooschter Projet reaffirmed its support to leukaemia research in Luxembourg and made a generous donation of EUR 25,000 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 leukaemia (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 “TIME CLL” project supported by Plooschter Projet is therefore to accurately characterise the cellular microenvironment of the lymph nodes of CLL patients. This should be achieved by combining high-throughput imaging of lymph node tissue with mass cytometry and single-cell sequencing analysis of T cells. The project also aims at developing relevant models to study leukaemic cells such as 3D cultures or patient-derived xenografts. A better understanding of cellular interactions and of cellular functions that subvert the anti-tumor immune mechanisms will provide hints as to potential targets for new innovative immunotherapies.