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IMMUcan, Petit Bruxelles (2025)

02/09/2025

What if we could anticipate a tumour’s next move, even before it happens?

At IMMUcan, that’s exactly what we’re working toward.

By studying the microenvironment in unprecedented detail, we’re learning how cancer adapts, hides, and fights back.

Our -omics analyses across thousands of samples allow us to track how tumours:
🔹 Evade the immune system
🔹 Stop responding to treatment
🔹 Develop resistance over time

Every insight brings us closer to smarter, more resilient .

26/08/2025

The immune system is powerful, but cancer can sometimes outsmart it.

IMMUcan is helping us understand how.

By combining spatial transcriptomics, single-cell sequencing, and proteomics, our researchers are mapping the mechanisms of immune evasion across tumour types.

For example:
-Some tumours suppress antigen presentation.
- Others create immunosuppressive environments.
- Many adapt dynamically under treatment pressure.

Why does this matter?

Because immune evasion is a key driver of treatment failure. The more we understand it, the better we can design therapies that keep the immune system engaged. And the cancer on the defensive.

19/08/2025

What if we could decode what's happening inside a tumour?

At IMMUcan, we’re getting closer to finding out the answer.

By profiling over 2,600 tumour samples using cutting-edge multi-omics technologies, we are creating a high-resolution map of the tumour microenvironment across several cancer types.

What does that mean?
It means we can now see how immune cells and cancer cells interact. We can understand the molecular signals that drive resistance or response. And most importantly, we can predict which therapies might work and for whom.

Imagine a world where every cancer treatment is precisely tailored to the patient’s biology.
That world becomes possible through the kind of insight IMMUcan is building today.

Because the more we learn, the more lives we can change.

08/08/2025

In cancer research, personalised medicine represents a shift in how we understand disease, deliver care, and define outcomes.

In case you missed it: our blog breaks down what personalised medicine means in real-world cancer care, from biomarkers and big data to patient-reported outcomes.

We’ve shared this before, but its insights only grow more relevant as IMMUcan’s datasets mature and open new paths for individualised cancer treatment.

Revisit the post here: https://bit.ly/4oyKJpx

What does “personalised” mean to you — as a researcher, patient, or policymaker?

01/08/2025

❓Did you know?
IMMUcan has profiled over 2600 tumour samples using multi-omics technologies, including RNA sequencing, proteomics, and immunohistochemistry?

This unprecedented effort allows researchers to map the tumour microenvironment in high resolution, showing how immune cells, cancer cells, and molecular signals interact across different cancer types.

✅ Why it matters?
These insights support the development of personalised immunotherapies by identifying biomarkers that predict how individual patients respond to treatment. It's a step toward more targeted, effective cancer care.

25/07/2025

So far in 2025, the IMMUcan project has been presented at two of the most prominent cancer research events: the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) and the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meetings. These appearances reaffirmed IMMUcan’s core mission: to decode the complexity of the tumour microenvironment and improve therapeutic outcomes for patients.

✅ AACR 2025 – Tackling Tumor Immune Suppression

At the AACR Annual Meeting, Marie Morfouace presented in the mini-symposium “Overcoming Tumor Immune Suppression”. The presentation, delivered in collaboration with Henoch Hong, shed light on novel mechanisms driving immune evasion and how they can be strategically targeted. This talk contributed to a broader conversation on reshaping the tumor-immune interface and optimising immunotherapy efficacy across solid tumors.

✅ ASCO 2025 – Mechanisms of Resistance in Head and Neck Cancer

Just weeks later, Athenais van der Elst represented IMMUcan at the ASCO Annual Meeting in Chicago with a poster presentation titled "Mechanisms of resistance to anti-PD1 treatment in recurrent/metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN): A multi-omics IMMUCAN/EORTC analysis."

This work explores the molecular underpinnings of resistance to immune checkpoint inhibitors. A key insight was the potential of B2M expression as a predictive biomarker for anti-PD1 response. The data also propose new therapeutic strategies aimed at reversing acquired resistance, which could significantly benefit patients with recurrent or metastatic SCCHN.

These engagements highlighted the value of collaborative, multi-omics research in shaping next-generation immuno-oncology strategies. With more publications expected this year, IMMUcan remains committed to translating these insights into clinical impact.

18/07/2025

It’s been more than a year since the study by Amelie Franken and colleagues was featured on the cover of Immunity (Cell Press), and its relevance to the research community continues to grow.

Using IMMUcan’s unique resources, the team applied high-resolution single-cell technologies (cRNA-seq, scT/BCR-seq, spatial transcriptomics, and proteomics) to dissect the immune microenvironment in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC).

Key discovery: Early response to anti-PD-L1/anti-CTLA-4 combination therapy hinges on CD4+ T cell activation and lymph node-derived recruitment, rather than solely intratumoral events. This insight has opened new research avenues into spatially and temporally orchestrated immune dynamics.

Over the past year, we’ve seen growing evidence of this study’s scientific traction and translational potential. More publications based on IMMUcan data are expected later this year, deepening our understanding of immune landscapes across cancers and accelerating translational insights.

Revisit the original article here: https://www.cell.com/issue/S1074-7613(23)X0004-1 #

26/05/2025

Hello from the IMMUcan team! 👋 The consortium gathered last week for our annual General Assembly. We had two days knowledge exchange, scientific updates, and future planning.

Key moments included:

🔹 A comprehensive overview of curated clinical, molecular, and cellular data;
🔹 In-depth sessions on colorectal, lung, head & neck, breast, and renal cancers cohort analyses;
🔹 AI-based analysis of H&E images;
🔹 Discussions on deep profiling, biosamples access, data upload, and trial integration;
🔹 A look ahead at final deliverables, sustainability plans, and public data sharing;
🔹 And a focus on communication and dissemination.

As IMMUcan enters its final year, these discussions shape how we share data, publish findings, and build a sustainable research legacy.

Thank you to our host, GSK, and to all consortium partners for their continued contributions and collaboration!

12/12/2024

Daniel Schulz, from the Bodenmiller lab (Department of Quantitative Biomedicine, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland) will present some work done within the IMMUcan project at the Inaugural Conference of the European Society for Spatial Biology (ESSB), taking place on the 12th and 13th of December, in Berlin.

The research presented at the conference provides a first comparison of the tumor microenvironment of 1,200 cancer patients across three cancer indications.

Notably, within a cohort of non-small cell lung cancer patients, the team has developed a simple prognostic score to quantify T cell infiltration heterogeneity across whole slide images.

The findings indicate that uniform T cell infiltration correlates with signs of inflammation and tumour reactivity, while non-uniformly infiltrated tumours reveal reduced dendritic cells, increased fibroblasts, and heightened expression of collagen-related genes.

IMMUcan is set to generate one of the richest and most standardised multiplexed imaging and multi-omic datasets to date, enabling detailed characterisation of the tumour microenvironment across different tumour types.

01/11/2024

Hello from Brussels! From Monday, October 28th, to Wednesday, October 30th, the Scientific Advisory Board and the Scientific Committee of IMMUcan came together for an in-person meeting in Brussels, Belgium, at the headquarters of the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC).

During these three days, our team engaged in in-depth discussions about the progress achieved across all work streams. We also explored prospective research directions that could shape our future initiatives.

The collaborative atmosphere welcomed a rich exchange of ideas, with participants sharing insights and recommendations aimed at amplifying our research outcomes and boosting the impact of our work.

Exciting times ahead for IMMUcan!

25/10/2024

In honour of , the IMMUcan team is proud to share the progress made in our breast cancer work stream.

IMMUcan includes three breast cancer cohorts:

🔹BC1: 123 Metastatic Triple Negative Breast Cancer (mTNBC) patients, treated in 1st line with chemotherapy or chemotherapy+immunotherapy

🔹BC2: 406 patients with localised Triple-Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC, stages I to III).

🔹BC3: 337 patients with localised Her2+ breast cancer (stages I to III).

The ImmuneLandscape Laboratory contributes by developing multiplex immunofluorescence panels to study tumour microenvironments. These panels map cellular interactions within tumours, providing essential data for personalising cancer treatments.

Our dedicated research team at CHUV Lausanne University Hospital) - Stéphanie Tissot, Sylvie Rusakiewicz, Lucie Despland, Preethi Devanand, and Abdelkader Benyagoub - uses this information to improve breast cancer therapies.

Additionally, Dr Andrea Joaquin Garcia (Institut Jules Bordet) shared her findings at ESMO24, showcasing how insights from the tumor microenvironment enhance therapeutic decision-making.

IMMUcan is establishing a sustainable platform and a legal framework to support future research, empowering the scientific community to access and expand upon this data.

A heartfelt thank you to the clinicians, researchers, and to the and their families who make this project possible.

11/10/2024

At the end of September, IMMUcan was showcased during the 7th edition of UroCCR’s Scientific Days.

Our colleagues, Dr. Marie Morfouace (Gustave Roussy, EORTC) presented the overall progress of the project, while Dr.Jane Merlevede (Institut Curie) and Dr Gaëlle Margue (CHU de Bordeaux) delivered an in-depth presentation on the renal cancer work stream of the project.

We extend our gratitude to the organisers and fellow researchers for the opportunity to share our advancements with the scientific community. Such collaborations are essential for exchanging ideas and driving forward the collective mission to improve cancer outcomes.

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