The development of an innovative screening platform of natural marine extracts guided by biological assays represents one of the main products developed within the Antitumor Drugs and Vaccines from the SEA (ADViSE) project which aims to provide a new vision in Drug Discovery processes. This platform aims at the rapid and efficient identification of natural molecules useful as pharmaceutical leads for the fight against oncological diseases with the aim of developing new immunotherapies, immunomodulators and chemotherapeutic agents, chemo-preventive agents and adjuvants for therapeutic cancer vaccines. The screening platform was born and contextualized in the studies on the ability of small organic molecules to transmit a specific immune response against tumor cells. This technology is based on the direct effect of the compounds both on neoplastic cells and on cells responsible for the recognition of harmful substances or alterations of self-components in neoplastic diseases, evaluating the ability to direct the quality and type of the immune response to prevent and/or stop the progression of the disease.
One of the main characteristics and advantages of this technology lies in the rapidity of analysis and fractionation which allows to obtain classes of natural compounds as new 'lead compounds' and in the possibility to combine antitumor tests with immunomodulation assays on dendritic cells, main responsible for triggering and modulation of immune response. In addition, the development of this innovative Drug Discovery Platform, in the context of the fight against oncological diseases, also intends to enhance an existing system of research skills, innovation and industrial know-how in the area of specialization of Biotechnology and Human Health. Therefore, from a technological and industrial point of view, this Platform aims to implement a translational model for the enhancement and transfer to the pharmaceutical industry of the results of basic and pre-clinical research in Drug Discovery processes on immunotherapeutic agents and components of anticancer vaccines, in order to favor short-medium term economic-social growth objectives in priority areas of innovation such as innovative therapeutic approaches or the development of new pharmacologically active molecules and new drugs.