An evolution-focused platform for cancer drug discovery

Objective

Solid tumours frequently develop resistance to therapies, leading to treatment failure. This resistance arises from the complex interplay between heterogeneous cancer cell populations and their microenvironment, driving tumour evolution and local adaptation. Current drug discovery pipelines fall short in addressing this complexity. In this ERC-PoC, we will develop EVOaware, a groundbreaking platform that integrates genome editing, spatial barcoding, high-throughput drug screening, multimodal spatial omics, and spatial pattern analysis, to address the critical challenge of therapeutic resistance in cancer from the lens of evolution. Ultimately, EVOaware will accelerate the discovery and development of novel cancer therapies, leading to improved patient outcomes.