To develop this integrated approach to cancer nutrition, a European consortium has been created, comprising six research centres recognised for their expertise in the field of nutrition and cancer research. It is led by the Madrid-based Institute IMDEA Nutrición and has a budget of more than 4 million euros.
The headquarters of Institute IMDEA Nutrición, at Madrid’s Cantoblanco Campus, have hosted the launch of an ambitious European initiative aimed at improving the nutritional and metabolic status of lung cancer patients using multi-omics approaches, which could transform the current healthcare landscape. This project has the backing of the European Innovation Council (EIC) and is endowed with more than 4 million euros.
Mentoring, as the project is called, is committed to a comprehensive and pioneering approach in the field of Precision Nutrition and Digital Health to revolutionise cancer treatment through personalised nutritional intervention that will improve patients’ quality of life, the effectiveness of treatments and, potentially, increase survival rates. The project is specifically designed for lung cancer —the cancer with the highest mortality rate, affecting more than 2.2 million people per year—and will serve as a model for other types of cancer and chronic non-communicable diseases (NCDs) It also has the potential to be extended to vulnerable populations, such as the elderly and individuals with metabolic disorders.
There is increasing evidence to suggest that cancer should be considered a metabolic disease, and the state of patients in this regard is crucial not only for prevention, but also as a prognostic factor in lung cancer and other chronic diseases.
IMDEA Nutrición based in Madrid, leads this initiative, which involves two German entities—the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), the largest in its field, and the prestigious Max Planck Society—as well as the Institute for Research and Innovation in Health (i3S) in Portugal, the University of Parma in Italy, and the Madrid Health Service (SERMAS).
Together with the principal investigators from the six centres that make up the consortium, the Vice-Minister of Universities, Research and Science of the Community of Madrid, Ana Ramírez de Molina—who promoted the initiative in her previous role as head of IMDEA Nutrición and the Institute’s Molecular Oncology Group—participated in the project’s launch meeting.
IMDEA Nutrición’s director, Ricardo Ramos, has highlighted that “there is increasing evidence to suggest that cancer should be considered a metabolic disease, and the state of patients in this regard is crucial not only for prevention, but also as a prognostic factor in lung cancer and other chronic diseases”. Hence, the Precision Nutrition approach will play a key role “by personalising dietary guidelines based on genetic and metabolic composition, nutritional assessment and the current health status of each individual,” says Ramos.
The project aims to reduce the prevalence of nutritional deficiencies by up to 40% and generally improve the quality of life of lung cancer patients. This includes metabolic health and a reduction in the side effects of treatments. In terms of hospital stays, the project expects to reduce these by an average of 10 days per patient per year.
Pioneering approach
The name MENTORING derives from “Unveiling malnutrition and metabolic changes in lung cancer patients: setting the basis for precision nutrition models” and reflects the project’s aim to provide tailored nutritional interventions that support both the physical and mental well-being of patients. This will be achieved by addressing nutrient deficiencies and by re- establishing microbiome and glycaemic health profiles.
The project has a planned duration of four years and a budget of €4,031,666, funded by the EU’s Horizon Europe programme under its Pathfinder initiative. This ambitious research will bring together pioneering expertise in multiple fields— including oncology, precision nutrition, microbiomics, glycomics and data integration—to develop a holistic approach to oncology nutrition. This multidisciplinary effort will ensure that the interactions between diet, the microbiome, and metabolic health are fully understood and incorporated into the Precision Nutrition model.
Cutting-edge technologies will also be incorporated, such as multi-omics assays and the Organ-on-a-Chip platform recently adopted by IMDEA Nutrición, to enable an unprecedented analysis of dietary patterns and bioactive compounds that influence cancer progression.
Malnutrition is a prevalent problem, especially among lung cancer patients, who often face complications such as sarcopenia, cachexia and protein-energy malnutrition. To date, most patients do not receive specialised dietary recommendations that address these individual nutritional deficiencies.
Therefore, the ultimate goal of Mentoring is to validate the nutrition model through a randomised clinical trial with lung cancer patients. The trial will compare the efficacy of precision nutrition against general dietary advice in improving quality of life, reducing nutritional deficiencies, and shortening hospital stays.
