World Cancer Day, celebrated on February 4, is an international day dedicated to raising awareness of cancer and encouraging its prevention, detection and treatment. To recognize the efforts of researchers in this area, we are publishing a success story for the COST Action, which examined immune system cells as mediators of diseases associated with chronic inflammation and cancer.
Most people only think about their immune system when they are sick. Few realize that survival in the early days of an infection depends on a rapid and largely invisible response driven by myeloid cells, which act as the immune system’s first responders. However, their role in chronic inflammation and cancer is not yet widely understood.
The COST Action “Conversion of molecular profiles of myeloid cells into biomarkers for inflammation and cancer” (Mye-InfoBank) brought together a diverse European network to investigate this role by reusing and analyzing existing molecular data. Along the way, it produced scientific results, advanced the careers of many young researchers, and established Omnicellscope, the COST Innovators Grant project that will expand the Action’s impact.
The first responders of the immune system
As Professor Sven Brandau, President of the Mye-InfoBank at the University Hospital Essen, explains, the immune system works in two phases. The first phase, known as innate immunity, reacts immediately and relies heavily on myeloid cells. The second phase, adaptive immunity, takes about seven to ten days to build a targeted defense.
“The reason why the common cold or any typical infection takes about a week to come, stay and go away it is related to the second component of the immune system, which needs this time to detect and eliminate the pathogen.” says Sven. “However, without myeloid cells, which are an important part of our innate immune system, we would not be able to survive this week of infection and would die very quickly.” These cells capture and destroy pathogens during the initial phase of an infection. While their role in acute infections is well understood, much remains to be learned about how they function in chronic inflammatory diseases and cancer. This was the starting point for Mye-InfoBank.
Giving new purpose to existing data
Before the start of the COST Action, biomedical research had already produced an unprecedented amount of molecular data, ranging from DNA to proteins. This data was generated using accurate and sophisticated technologies. Much of this information was stored in public repositories once it had served its original purpose. Mye-InfoBank decided to make better use of these resources.“Repurposing means retrieving existing data and using it for new scientific questions.” explains Sven Brandau. He compares the process to using the internet or Wikipedia. “Information is uploaded for a reason, but there are many different ways to search, combine and interpret it. The same is true for molecular data.” By reanalyzing and curating existing data sets, Action extracted information about myeloid cells and turned it into important biological signals or biomarkers for diseases associated with chronic inflammation. These biomarkers could help doctors make diagnoses or decisions about treatment in the future.
From data to decisions
The concept of biomarkers is at the core of the Action’s impact. “In our case, a biomarker could indicate to a doctor which patients would or would not benefit from a particular treatment.” says Sven. This approach, known as patient stratification, allows doctors to move away from one-size-fits-all treatments. Thanks to the knowledge generated by Mye-InfoBank, researchers can develop diagnostic tests that detect specific types of myeloid cells or the molecules they produce. Such tools could guide clinical decisions, improve treatment outcomes and avoid unnecessary treatments. For patients, this means more expensive care. for healthcare systems, it means more efficient use of resources.
Speaking the same scientific language
Achieving these goals required expertise from very different fields. Immunologists, clinicians, bioinformaticians and biobank coordinators all brought key pieces of the puzzle. “Science it has become so specialized that it is almost impossible for one person to be an expert in all these different areas.” notes the president. “Even basic communication between disciplines can be challenging, as each field uses its own terminology and methods.”
Through COST networking, Mye-InfoBank has successfully found a common language. “We combined networking with real experimental and analytical work.” says Professor Brandau. “We have successfully brought together all the necessary expertise to achieve our two primary goals: producing high-quality scientific data and promoting interdisciplinary cross-fertilization and education. As a result, we are in the process of creating high-quality atlases, which will be available to the public in the summer of 2026.”
For Sven, the most powerful image of the COST Action remains that of the final meeting in his hometown of Hamburg. “I was surveying the seminar room. I saw almost fifty people and I could relate a valuable and voluntary contribution to each of them. I thought, ‘This is really fantastic and illustrates the high motivation of both younger and more experienced scientists, who did the work because they really cared about working together.’ he remembers. “I hope this spirit will encourage younger researchers to create similar networks in the future.”
A network that shaped careers
For many participants, Mye-InfoBank was as much about personal growth as it was about scientific advancement. Nico Trummer, a young Action member of the Technical University of Munich, joined Action during his undergraduate studies and contributed to the development of a standardized pipeline for single-cell transcriptomic data that is now used by researchers around the world.
“At first I felt a little overwhelmed by all the experienced researchers around me.” he remembers. “But people grow up responsibly, and Action really gave me that opportunity to grow.” Through collaborations across Europe, he gained confidence early in his career. “Action gave me the confidence and skills to tackle complex computational problems early on, shaping my approach to bioinformatics and systems biology.” he adds.
For Daniel Naumovas of Vilnius University, the benefits of participating in Action extend beyond research. He highlights how participating in Mye-InfoBank improved his public speaking skills and introduced him to best practices in biobanking.
“Meeting with like-minded scientists motivates you to move forward”, he says. At the time, he was the first in his hospital to join a COST Action. “Now I see that many colleagues have followed, even from other departments.” Today, as Deputy Minister of Health in Lithuania, responsible for innovation and research, he still draws on this experience. “Scientific knowledge and public speaking skills help a lot” notes.
Michelle Camacho, Action member and researcher at Jagiellonian University, first trained as a doctor in Venezuela before pursuing a career in science in Poland. Action offered her opportunities and stability. Through Short-Term Scientific Missions, she has visited laboratories across Europe, learned new experimental and analytical approaches and perfected her techniques under the guidance of experienced scientists.
“Being a part of this COST Action was an invaluable experience for me.” she says. “He contributed significantly to my development as a young researcher.” Equally important were personal relationships. “I formed friendships and partnerships that continue beyond the project itself.”
Ebru Kocakaya from Ege University echoes this sentiment, stating that Mye-InfoBank was a key part of her PhD journey. “Participating in this large international consortium soon became a supportive space for learning and growth.” she remembers. Through training schools and research activities, she gained hands-on experience in advanced analysis methods and single cell data analysis, while also enhancing her communication skills.
“What made this experience special were the people” she adds. “I met scientists who became friends, mentors and collaborators.” One moment stands out in particular: “The last meeting in Hamburg was like a real family reunion. It made me realize how rare and special this network is.”
What’s next: Omniscope
The momentum of Mye-InfoBank continues through the COST Innovators Grant supporting the project “Development of a flexible and broadly applicable platform for expert-guided cell type deconvolution in human immune-related diseases” (Omnicellscope). This initiative aims to develop a flexible, user-friendly platform that combines bulk and single-cell RNA sequencing data to reveal tissue cellular composition in immune-related diseases. By focusing on publicly available datasets, Omnicellscope will help researchers, biotech companies and the pharmaceutical sector derive more value from existing data.
“Omnicellscope allows us to retrieve more specific information from data that already exists.” explains the president. “This helps researchers better understand the disease and ultimately improve treatment.”
By bringing together people, data and ideas from across Europe, Mye-InfoBank has shown how COST Actions can turn scientific resources into shared knowledge, paving the way for improved health outcomes.
