From 15-17 September 2025, scientists from the International Centre for Cancer Vaccine Science (ICCVS) participated in CTGCT Days 2025 in Ljubljana, Slovenia. This is one of Europe’s leading scientific events focused on the latest advances in cell and gene therapy, bringing together top experts from around the world.
Our Scientists’ Presentations
The Director of ICCVS, Prof. Natalia Marek-Trzonkowska, was invited to deliver an invited talk entitled “Optimal Preclinical Models and Cancer Heterogeneity – Challenges for Cancer Immunotherapy.” In her presentation, she highlighted that non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), which accounts for 85% of all lung cancer cases, exhibits high genetic diversity and mutational burden, making it an ideal target for immunotherapy. The ICCVS team presented research on the NSCLC immunopeptidome, demonstrating how different preclinical models influence the repertoire of peptides presented by cancer cells. The identification of unique neoantigens, shared between patient tumors and models, underscores the potential for developing antigen-specific cellular therapies. Prof. Marek-Trzonkowska emphasized that the diversity of tumor cells requires careful selection of immunotherapy targets, which may represent the future of personalized cancer treatment.
Ines Papak presented the talk “From One Cell to a Tumor: The Story of CD45⁺ Cells in NSCLC”, offering new insights into the role of immune cells in NSCLC progression. She highlighted that the tumor microenvironment exhibits high cellular heterogeneity, which obscures the molecular mechanisms underlying tumor initiation, metastasis, and immune evasion, and that understanding these processes may open up new therapeutic opportunities.
Research Posters
The ICCVS team also actively participated in the poster sessions:
- Artur Piróg (“Fresh View on Cancer Biomarker Discovery: Plasma/Tissue Peptidomes and NK Cell Populations – Project DiaNA”) and Jakub Faktor (“Proteomic Interrogation of the T Cell Subset Activation Dynamics Reveals Subset Specific Membrane Signatures and Pathway Landscapes”) presented posters within the DiaNA project, focusing on innovative lung cancer diagnostics, including neoantigen identification and immunopeptidome analysis.
- Katarzyna Dziubek (“Mass Spectrometry-Based Mapping of the PD-1 Interactome Reveals Cross-Species Therapeutic Targets”) and Anna Biernacka (“Method Matters: Evaluating Isolation Techniques for Accurate Characterization of Tissue-Derived EVs in NSCLC”) presented posters under the SWIFT project (Science for Welfare, Innovations and Forceful Therapies), showcasing novel immunological approaches in NSCLC research.
- Martyna Siewiera (“Development of a Platform for Studying NSCLC Immunopeptidome in Tumors and Patient-Derived Models – Optimization for CANVAS Project”) presented results from the CANVAS project, covering immunopeptidome analyses, in vitro and in vivo models, and identification of potential neoantigens in the context of NSCLC therapy.
International Collaboration and Knowledge Exchange
Participation in CTGCT Days 2025 allowed the ICCVS team to present their research, exchange experiences with global experts, and establish new scientific collaborations.
ICCVS Projects
The presentations were carried out within projects funded by national and European sources:
- DiaNA ‘NSCLC Diagnostics – Algorithm’ – funded by the Medical Research Agency (2024/ABM/03/KPO), National Recovery and Resilience Plan, Component D Efficiency, Accessibility and Quality of the Health System, Investment D3.1.1
- SWIFT ‘Science for Welfare, Innovations and Forceful Therapies’ – financed in the frame of the International Research Agenda programme (IRAP) of the Foundation for Polish Science (FNP) financed by the European Funds for a Smart Economy 2021-2027 (FENG), Priority FENG.02 Innovation-friendly environment, Measure FENG.02.01 International Research Agendas
- CANVAS ‘Enhancing Cancer Vaccine Science for New Therapy Pathways’ – funded by the European Commission, Horizon Europe Twinning HORIZON-WIDERA-2021-ACCESS-03
