The BRIDGE project, a collaboration between ITQB NOVA and IPOFG Lisbon, is working on new ways to better understand and treat aggressive breast cancer by studying how tumors interact with the immune system.
Researchers are focusing on finding biomarkers—biological signals that can predict how quickly a cancer will grow and how it will respond to treatment. They are also studying the tumor microenvironment, looking at how molecules on cancer cells communicate with immune cells to help tumors avoid being detected and destroyed.
Using real patient samples, the team aims to turn these discoveries into practical diagnostic tools that doctors can use in everyday care. The overall goal is to move beyond one-size-fits-all treatments and develop more personalized therapies tailored to each patient’s specific cancer.
Funded by the iNOVA4Health Lighthouse Projects, the project will receive €75,000 over the next two years to help bring these advances from the lab into clinical use.