Stéphanie Herkenne wins an Audacious Medical grant for her research into cancer immunotherapy
Stéphanie Herkenne, a biochemist at the Mitochondria in Cell Communication (MICC) laboratory at the University of Liège, has just been awarded an Audacious Medical Grant 2025 for her innovative work in the field of cancer immunotherapy and her project "Reprogramming Tumour Communication: Diverting Extracellular Vesicles for a New Generation of Cancer Immunotherapy".
T
he project led by Stéphanie Herkenne opens up a bold new avenue in cancer therapy by hijacking the secretory machinery of tumour cells and reprogramming extracellular vesicles (EVs) to transform the tumour microenvironment from a pro-cancerous state into an aggressive anti-tumour battlefield. "As true mediators of intercellular communication, EVs are exploited by cancer cells to evade immune surveillance and promote malignancy," explains the researcher. "We are focusing on mitochondria, revealing their unsuspected role in the biogenesis and function of EVs."
The team's research has demonstrated that EVs derived from cancer cells with altered mitochondria induce the recruitment of novel immune populations in several tumour models and reshape the immune landscape. "By dissecting the molecular mechanisms by which mitochondria influence EV secretion and loading, we seek to understand how these vesicles reprogram immune responses and promote tumour eradication. Our cutting-edge flow cytometry analyses reveal a selective enrichment of neutrophils, eosinophils and novel macrophage subpopulations in response to purified EVs from cells with altered mitochondria, independently of the adaptive immune system."
These results suggest a disruptive mechanism whereby tumour EVs orchestrate innate immune responses. The team is also exploring how mitochondria regulate the endosomal fate and lipid/protein composition of EVs, opening up new targets for therapeutic interventions. By redirecting the secretory pathway, we aim to transform EVs into a new generation of cancer immunotherapy
This disruptive approach, supported by a patent (EP23204476.8), establishes a new frontier in oncology by exploiting the tumour's own communication system to lead to its destruction.
With this distinction, Stéphanie Herkenne joins the ranks of researchers who, through their creativity and rigour, are redefining the frontiers of the fight against cancer. This is well-deserved recognition for a therapeutic approach that could be a game-changer in oncology.
Stéphanie Herkenne is the fourth scientist from ULiège to receive this funding, following Laurent Nguyen (oncology 2024), Michaël Herfs (oncology, 2023) and Laurent Gillet (infectiology, 2022).
About the Audacious Medical Grant
The Audacious Medical Grant (AMG) is a funding instrument that supports biomedical research projects that are original and bold but are not supported by traditional systems due to a lack of preliminary data, the absence of previous work or an unusual methodology. The term "bold" means that there is a significant risk that the project will yield little or no tangible scientific results due to its originality or complexity.
