Cancer remains one of the most urgent public health challenges facing Europe today. Each year, millions of new cases are diagnosed, with abdominal organ cancers among the most frequent and deadly. Although established treatments such as surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy have significantly improved patient survival, they continue to suffer from fundamental limitations: lack of specificity, severe side effects, and reduced therapeutic efficiency due to drug resistance or poor tumor targeting. These limitations are not merely medical—they carry social, economic, and policy implications, as healthcare systems across the EU are called upon to deliver safer, more effective, and more personalized treatment options.
The Localized Cancer Therapy (LCT) project was launched to address these challenges at their core. Its central goal is to develop a next-generation cancer treatment approach by integrating smart, radiation-responsive drug delivery systems into existing radiotherapy protocols. Specifically, the project focuses on the synthesis of biodegradable, biocompatible polymer-based nanocarriers, tiny, engineered particles that can carry chemotherapy drugs directly to tumors, then release them in a controlled manner when exposed to therapeutic radiation.
This strategy addresses two major needs in current oncology practice. First, it provides spatial precision, ensuring that chemotherapeutic agents are delivered to the tumor site rather than circulating systemically. Second, it enables temporal control, so that drugs are released exactly when they are most effective, during the moment of radiation exposure. By linking drug release to gamma irradiation, LCT envisions a system where the treatment is confined both in time and space, reducing damage to healthy tissues and minimizing side effects.
Beyond drug delivery, the project also tackles a critical technical gap in the field: the mechanical modelling of soft, cancerous tissues in vivo, particularly in the abdomen where respiratory motion complicates treatment planning. Current radiotherapy models often rely on ex vivo or animal data, which limits their accuracy. To overcome this, LCT applies novel experimental techniques such as Cavitation Rheology, supported by computational simulations and advanced material characterization. This interdisciplinary approach allows for more reliable modelling of organ motion and deformation during breathing, paving the way for more accurate and patient-specific radiation targeting.
The expected impacts of the project are significant in both scientific and societal terms. Scientifically, LCT will expand the frontiers of soft matter mechanics, nanomedicine, and computational oncology. It introduces a unique multimodal treatment paradigm that enhances radiotherapy precision while integrating controlled chemotherapy. Societally, it has the potential to reduce the burden on healthcare systems by lowering treatment complications, improving patient outcomes, and creating a foundation for more affordable and accessible cancer care.
Strategically, LCT aligns with the EU’s missions in cancer, health innovation, and personalized medicine, as outlined in the Horizon Europe framework and the Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan. The project contributes to the goals of EU4Health by promoting innovation in cancer care, and it supports Open Science by making its findings publicly available through dedicated platforms and dissemination events.
In summary, the LCT project represents a bold and practical step toward next-generation cancer therapy. It is grounded in rigorous science, shaped by real-world clinical needs, and guided by the conviction that precision, safety, and efficacy should no longer be competing ideals, but mutually reinforcing pillars of modern medicine.
