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Project

Study on the experssion of COVID-19 related proteins on lung cancer cells and the influence of standard of care therapy

SARS-CoV-2 is a respiratory virus making the lungs the primary site of infection. However, little is currently known about the interaction between SARS-CoV-2 and lung cancer cells. SARS-CoV-2 needs certain proteins on the host cell to recognize and infect them. If more of these proteins are present, it may mean that these cells are more easily infected by the virus. The aim of this study is to investigate the presence of these proteins on patients' cancer cells to determine whether lung cancer cells express these proteins more than normal lung cells and can therefore be infected by SARS-CoV-2. The second aim of this study is to investigate how cancer treatments used as standard for lung cancer patients (chemotherapy, targeted and immunotherapy) influence the expression of these proteins. We will check this on patient samples, but also in the lab on cancer and normal lung organoids. These organoids are directly derived from lung cancer patients and can be considered a patient in the lab who very well retain the characteristics of the original tissue. Using advanced equipment, we can quickly check the expression of SARS-CoV-2 related proteins after treatment with 15 different therapies. This study can therefore quickly provide us with more information about how anti-cancer treatments can influence the course of SARS-CoV-2 infections.
Date:1 Jun 2020 →  30 Nov 2020
Keywords:COVID-19, LUNG CANCER
Disciplines:Oncology not elsewhere classified