At the moment two PhD students from abroad make their research work in the lab in frame of the Horizon 2020 EU grant. The grant (MSCA-ITN-2014-ETN: Marie Skłodowska-Curie Innovative Training Networks (ITN-ETN) Grant Agreement number: 642004) named MAGICBULLET is related to targeted tumour therapy. The consortium consists of 6 university research groups from 4 countries (University of Bielefeld, University of Cologne from Germany, Universita Degli Studi Dell’Insubria (Como), Universita Degli Studi di Milano from Italy and University of Helsinki from Finnland), pharmaceutical companies (e.g. Bayer, Heidelberg Pharma, Exiris, Pharmitalia) and health care institutes. Besides the MTA-ELTE Research Group of Peptide Chemistry (ELTE), the Institute of Oncology takes part in the consortium. Fifteen PhD students were applied in frame of the grant (with different nationality from the host country).

Our two PhD students in the lab work on the development of peptide conjugates for targeted tumour therapy using hormone peptides (e.g. GnRH and somatostatin derivatives) and RGD or NGR peptides as homing devices in the conjugates. These peptides recognize over-expressed receptors either on tumour cells or on neovasculature that takes part in tumor growth and metastases.