On 28 January 2026, an agreement was signed at Łukasiewicz–PORT in Wrocław with a consortium of scientific institutions to finance the winning project of the 4th edition of the Virtual Research Institute competition entitled: ‘Personalised antibody-drug conjugates activated by matrix metalloproteinases for solid tumours (PACMAN)’. The project was submitted by a consortium of researchers from six centres in Wrocław and Warsaw:
- Wrocław University of Science and Technology (leader),
- Ludwik Hirszfeld Institute of Immunology and Experimental Therapy, Polish Academy of Sciences in Wrocław,
- University of Wrocław,
- Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences,
- Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences in Warsaw,
- Institute of Physical Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences in Warsaw.
At the Institute, a team of employees from the Experimental Cancer Therapy Laboratory and the Immunopathology Laboratory, led by Dr Elżbieta Pajtasz-Piasecka, will be responsible for the implementation of the project.
The aim of the research is to develop an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) combining specific monoclonal antibodies with a powerful chemotherapeutic agent, which would be too toxic for the patient’s body if administered alone. The conjugate prepared in this way will mask the action of the drug, allowing it to reach the tumour microenvironment and only then be activated by tumour enzymes, ensuring high efficacy with a reduced risk of damage to healthy tissues.
PLN 72,854,995 from the Polish Science Fund has been allocated to the PACMAN project. The amount awarded to the Hirszfeld Institute of Immunology and Experimental Therapy of the Polish Academy of Sciences is PLN 8,855,079.35.
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