CAPSTONE (Controlling Antigen Processing in Autoimmune diseases and Cancer) PhD project is a multi-disciplinary platform of experts in structural biology, immunology, biochemistry, proteomics, and therapeutics that jointly aim to increase the impact of research into ERAP aminopeptidases in various aspects of human and animal disease.

The CAPSTONE wishes to:

  •  Train the next generation of researchers for interdisciplinary and intersectorial careers in basic and applied medicinal chemistry, immunomodulation and pharmacology research with full understanding of the requirements of academia, pharmaceutical companies and societal challenges.
  • Elucidate through a collaborative research program, how ERAPs modulation is underlying antigen processing/presentation dysfunctions in cancer and autoimmune diseases, more specifically Spondylarthritis, and rare diseases like Birdshot chorioretinopathy.
  • Validate ERAPs as targets and bring lead modulators all the way from early stage to pre-clinical investigation in diseases of urgent medical need.
  • Form a sustainable network of excellence and ESRs that will last beyond the CAPSTONE timeline
  • Build a high-impact structure ensuring multi-level dissemination and exploitation of all results.


This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No 954992

5th CAPSTONE Meeting

The meeting took place in Utrecht, Netherlands on the 10th-12th May 2023.

CAPSTONE celebrating International Day of Women and Girls in Science

Fight cancer: coming across the immune system

A new article from CAPSTONE, in which ESR7, Alice Senni, explains what “immunotherapy” means. In as easy to understand way, she elaborates on the tools our immune system has to recognise cancer cells and mechanisms helping to battle these.

ESRs communicate on their research

2 ESRs take part in the World Cancer Research Day 2022, 1 ESR perform a video and 3 ESRs were interviewed

4th CAPSTONE summit in Athens

The upcoming event took place between October 17th and 21th 2022 in Athens, Greece and marked the second physical meeting among ESRs, supervisors and related partners.

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