Project name: Harnessing senescence-primed immune responses to eradicate leukaemia and overcome resistance to therapy

Project acronym: SLIM

Principal Investigator: Dr. Antonella Santoro - https://www.iusspavia.it/it/rubrica/antonella-santoro 

CUP: I53C25000640001

Description: Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is the most common form of leukemia in adults and is primarily treated with intensive chemotherapy. However, despite favorable initial responses, many patients eventually relapse due to the development of therapy resistance.

Among the mechanisms involved, therapy-induced cellular senescence plays a key role. While senescence may initially promote anti-tumor immune responses, the persistence of senescent cells and their pro-inflammatory senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) can contribute to disease progression and treatment resistance.

This project aims to investigate how senescent leukemic cells interact with the tumor microenvironment and the immune system, with the goal of identifying novel mechanisms underlying AML progression and developing innovative therapeutic strategies to improve the efficacy of both chemotherapy and immunotherapy.

Funding Institution: Ministero dell'Università e della Ricerca (MUR)

Project starting date: 15/05/2025

Project end date: 14/05/2028