Project

HEPINIB

Heparanase inhibition as a multifunctional targeting approach in cancer
Application Areas
Research Areas
Research Lines
Staff
WEBSITE

ITB Principal Investigator

Name

Heparanase inhibition as a multifunctional targeting approach in cancer

Acronym

HEPINIB

Location

Segrate

Start Date

2023

End Date

2026

Funder

European Union’s Horizon-Europe programme-European Commission CORDIS

Partners

UNIVERSITE DE REIMS CHAMPAGNE-ARDENNE France UPPSALA UNIVERSITET Sweden RHEINISCHE FRIEDRICH-WILHELMS-UNIVERSITAT BONN Germany TECHNION - ISRAEL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY SEREND-IP GMBH Germany CENTRO ALTA TECNOLOGIA ISTITUTO DIRICERCHECHIMICHE E BIOCHIMICHE GRONZONI SRL Italy UPPSALA THERAPEUTICS AB Sweden POLITECNICO DI MILANO Italy CELVIA CC AS Estonia CONSEJO NACIONAL DE INVESTIGACIONES CIENTIFICAS Y TECNICAS (CONICET) Argentina

Heparan sulfate (HS) is a carbohydrate of varied structure that attaches to proteins found on the cell surface and in the extracellular matrix. Emerging evidence indicates that this process is deregulated in cancer and affects cancer cell interactions with the tumour microenvironment and the immune system, promoting cancer progression and metastasis. Funded by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the HEPINIB project proposes to use as a drug target the enzyme heparanase that cleaves HS and contributes to the remodelling of the extracellular matrix. The working hypothesis is that the therapeutic targeting of heparanase will work on many levels, impeding metastasis, angiogenesis and inflammation.
  • Cocola C, et al. Transmembrane Protein TMEM230, Regulator of Glial Cell Vascular Mimicry and Endothelial Cell Angiogenesis in High-Grade Heterogeneous Infiltrating Gliomas and Glioblastoma. IJMS (2024) 25:3967. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25073967
  • Abeni E, Cocola C, et al. Single-cell transcriptomic analysis to identify endomembrane regulation of metalloproteins and motor proteins in autoimmunity. APCSB (2024) 141:299-329. https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.apcsb.2024.03.007
  • Cocola C, et al. Transmembrane protein TMEM230, regulator of metalloproteins and motor proteins in gliomas and gliosis. APCSB (2024) 41:255-297. https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.apcsb.2024.03.006
  • Piscitelli E, Maya IC, et al. Long-term culture of patient-derived mammary organoids in non-biogenic electrospun scaffolds for identifying metalloprotein and motor protein activities in aging and senescence. APCSB (2024) 141:331-360. https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.apcsb.2024.03.008
  • Piscitelli E, et al. Glycosylation Regulation by TMEM230 in Aging and Autoimmunity. IJMS (2025) 26:2412. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms26062412
  • Angeli E, Cocola C, et al. Role of TMEM230 in the Aberrant Glycosylation in Human Autoimmunity and Cancer. Proteoglycan Research (2025) 3:e70020. https://doi.org/10.1002/pgr2.70020
  • Vilardo L, Pelucchi P, Brindisi A. Single-Cell mRNA Analysis for the Identification of Molecular Pathways of IRF1 in HER2+ Breast Cancer. Cells (2025) 14:1246. https://doi.org/10.3390/cells14161246