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Workshop 1 ONCORNET2.0 consortium – kick off meeting

(Online from Amsterdam, November 16-17, 2020)

ONCORNET2.0 on www.europeanddissemination.eu

ONCORNET2.0 Recruitment Flyer  

4 Million euros for next ITN research project ONCORNET2.0

The EU has granted 4 million euros to Martine Smit and Jacqueline van Muijlwijk (Medicinal Chemistry/AIMMS/Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam) and colleagues from academia and SMEs form the Netherlands, France, Germany, Spain, UK and Switzerland.

Martine Smit and Jacqueline van Muijlwijk are leading this European research consortium, named ONCORNET2.0. The project builds on the success of ONCORNET (Oncogenic GPCR Network of Excellence and Training), a first-in-kind in GPCR drug discovery that has succesfully delivered scientific advance and training to 15 talented early stage researchers (ESRs). This project was also led by the VU.

ONCORNET2.0 will incorporate recent scientific and technological breakthroughs (e.g. cryo-EM, CRISPR-Cas, advanced microscopy) to understand and target two oncogenic G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs); the chemokine receptors CXCR4 and ACKR3 (CXCR7). These are highly expressed in multiple tumours but their role in cancer progression remains poorly understood. We will develop new strategis for CXCR4/ACKR3 modulation (formatted nanobodies, photswitchable ligands) and investigate their effects on oncogenic responsen, to yield key new knowledge (using systems biology) and potential leads for drug development.

Leading reasearch groups in Europe
ONCORNET2.0 will bring together the leading GPCR research groups in Europe and will educate the next generation of young researchers (15 PhD students) by multi-disciplinary training. 

This programme integrates both research (e.g. drug discovery, proteomics, imaging) and transferable (e.g. entrepreneurship, academic writing, media training) skill set through blended learning. This will ensure that the ESRs can effectively operate in today’s drug discovery programs and will increase European competitiveness in the field of drug discovery. 

Partners
The following academis groups will work together in this European research consortium: 

  • Martine Smit, Jacqueline van Muijlwijk, Rob Leurs, Iwan de Esch (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, NL)
  • Steve Hill, Meritxell Canals, Steve Briddon (University of Nottingham, UK)
  • Philippe Marin, Thierry Durroux, Sébastien Granier, Jean Philippe Pin (CNRS, FR)
  • Martin Lohse (Max-Delbruck-Centrum für Molekulare Medizin, DE)
  • Carsten Hoffmann (Universitätsklinikum Jena, DE)
  • Françoise Bachelerie, Géraldine Schlecht-Louf (INSERM, FR)
  • Federico Mayor, Petronila Penela (Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, ES)
  • Graeme Milligan, Gerry Graham (University of Glasgow, UK) 

SMEs:  

  • QVQ (Raimond Heukers, NL)
  • InterAx Biotech (Maria Waldhoer, CH)

Other partner organizations are: Cisbio (Eric Trinquet, FR), Sosei Heptares (Chris de Graaf, UK), ALMAC (Alastair Hay, UK), Promega (Rachel Ohana, Keith Wood, US) and Learning By Simulation (LBS) (Leon Delbressine, NL). 

The first edition of the The Project Repository Journal

Workshop 7 ONCORNET1.0 – Final meeting

 (Amsterdam, August 28-31, 2018)

Final workshop with ESRs and PIs

3 ESRs @secondment Cisbio – proteomics facility (2018) ONCORNET1.0

Workshop 6 ONCORNET1.0

(Nottingham, April 15-20, 2018)

 research progress day: ESRs and PI’s

Workshop 5 ONCORNET1.0 

(Berlin, October 12-15, 2017) 

workshop hosted by Max Delbrück Center and organized by Max Delbrück Center together with the University of Würzburg

Workshop 4 ONCORNET1.0 

(Montpellier, April 18-20, 2017)

workshop Montpellier CNRS / Cisbio

March 2017
research progress day 17 March Il Ciocco – Scientific Advisory Members (Tracy Handel, Michel Bouvier)

Workshop 3 ONCORNET1.0 

(Argenx Gent, 10-14 October 2016)

  • Research progress day (10 October), Mid Term Review meeting (EU project officer and expert reviewer)
  • Symposium ‘GPCRs in Drug Discovery: From small molecules to antibody-based therapeutics’ (11 October), contributions of industrial partners ONCORNET (picture)

Picture from left to right: Graeme Fraser (Euroscreen), Alastir Hay (ALMAC), Laurent Meeus (Euroscreen), Rob Leurs (Griffin Discoveries), Xavier Leroy (Actelion), Joan Ballesteros (Viviabiotech), Eric Trinquet (Cisbio), Francois Lehembre (Actelion)

Workshops ‘Phage display’ and ‘Patent law in life sciences’

Workshop 2 ONCORNET1.0 

(Glasgow, March 21-24, 2016)

ONCORNET1.0 ESR team

Research progress day ONCORNET1.0, ESRs and PIs


Interview day in Amsterdam
(June 2, 2015)

45 selected applicants for 15 positions


Recruitment
(March 9, 2015)

Recruitment for 15 ESRs has started

Workshop 1 ONCORNET1.0 – kick off meeting

(Amsterdam, October 13, 2015)

PI’s presented their institutes or companies and the projects.

The ESR teams presented themselves in a different way….. (click to watch the movies)

team 1 modulators

team 2 signaling

team 3 translational

Contact details

Please contact us at:
info@oncornet.eu

ONCORNET Coordinator
VU University Amsterdam
The Netherlands