Project description
Nerve-specific fluorescence tracers for image guided surgery
The surgical management of prostate cancer patients involves robotic surgery and laparoscopic devices, requiring exceptional accuracy in tumour resection and the ability to preserve the nerves to prevent erectile dysfunction and urinary incontinence. The nerves are not visible to the naked eye and the image-guided surgery depends on access to the nerve-specific fluorescence tracers, enabling the visualisation of peripheral nerves and creating nerve-sparing capabilities. The ERC-funded AUTO NERVE project aims to convert the previously discovered autonomic-nerve targeted lead compound into a fluorescence tracer. The study will focus on systematically fine-tuning this compound, optimising the structure-activity relationship, and providing the opportunity for future commercialisation.
Objective
"""As a common disease in western men, prostate cancer is a major driver for the billion-euro robotic surgery and laparoscopic devices markets. In the surgical management of prostate cancer patients, next to the tumor resection accuracy, the surgeon’s ability to preserve the nerve-network and prevent erectile dysfunction and urinary incontinence, is key. As these nerves are not visible by eye, image guided surgery approaches aimed at nerve-sparing demand the clinical availability of nerve-specific fluorescence tracers. Hereby it is expected that the ability to visualize peripheral nerves promotes nerve-sparing opportunities and opens up new commercial-avenues for companies involved in the surgical market. Previously my ILLUMINATING NERVES ERC-StG yielded a sensory-nerve targeted lead-compound that was made suitable for imaging somatic-nerves (MY NERVE ERC-PoC). This tracer, however, does not allow for imaging of the autonomic nerves. For autonomic nerves I have now shown, within the same ERC-StG, that an alternative tracer can be used as an imaging target. The aim of the AUTO NERVE ERC-PoC project is to convert the autonomic-nerve targeted lead-compound into a fluorescence tracer. Systematic fine-tuning of this lead will optimize the structure-activity relation and will improve the chance of future commercialization. Ultimately, the outcome of the three complementary ERC-grants should yield an advancement in clinical care.”"
Fields of science
Programme(s)
Topic(s)
Funding Scheme
ERC-POC - Proof of Concept GrantHost institution
2333 ZA Leiden
Netherlands