Project description
An implantable device for the localised delivery of chemotherapeutics
Cancer treatment using chemotherapeutics is limited by their systemic administration which is associated with toxicity issues in healthy organs. Being able to spatiotemporally control drug administration and achieve precision delivery to the tumour site would enhance treatment outcome and miminise side effects. Funded by the European Innovation Council, the bioSWITCH project introduces an implantable device, based on iontronics technology that uses ions or molecules as signal carriers. Researchers will test the efficacy of drug delivery in a xenograft pancreas cancer mouse model. The work will serve as the foundation for the future translation of this technology in the clinic.
Objective
Our vision for a new type of cancer treatment is based on an implantable therapeutic system capable of ‘programmable’ on-demand delivery of drugs directly to the tumor. We conceive an implantable iontronic switch (bioSWITCH) to enable a spatiotemporally controlled administration of highly potent chemotherapeutics, without the need for systemic administration of (pro)drugs or drug conjugates.
This radically new technology will be realized by a combination of next-level tools.
As a result, bioSWITCH can generate previously unobtainable discrete as well as continuous drug concentration profiles at the tumor site, and thus allows for the use of highly potent drugs that are otherwise not applicable due to high cytotoxicity.
The goal is to demonstrate the technology’s potential to effectively interfere with tumor progression using a xenograft pancreas cancer mouse model. Efficiently shrinking tumors in size allows for surgical resection of previously non-operable tumors and dramatically increases survival rates.
Our consortium of world leading academics and pioneering SMEs will ensure the translation of this disruptive technology into the market to maximize the socioeconomic impact.
Fields of science
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques.
Keywords
Programme(s)
- HORIZON.3.1 - The European Innovation Council (EIC) Main Programme
Funding Scheme
HORIZON-EIC - HORIZON EIC GrantsCoordinator
581 83 Linkoping
Sweden