Project description DEENESFRITPL A radical neutron therapy for difficult to reach cancers When cancer is mentioned, we often think of chemotherapy. However, radiotherapy has been a powerful weapon for over a century, employing high doses of ionising radiation to kill cancer cells, or slow down their growth by damaging their DNA. Neutron-based therapies that work primarily through nuclear interactions, have been used to treat radioresistant tumours, but lack cancer-specificity. This may induce damage to healthy tissues and cause new carcinogenesis. Photomedical therapies use light to trigger lethal reactions between light-sensitive compounds and oxygen, targeting cancerous cells. Nevertheless, they lack sufficient penetration depth to reach deep-seated cancers. The EU-funded project FRINGE is developing a new therapeutic approach combining the best of both worlds. Show the project objective Hide the project objective Objective Deep lying tumours like aggressive brain cancer remain very difficult to treat and existing therapies offer only marginal increase in survival rates. In the case of photomedical therapies they are very effective, but mainly limited by their insufficient depth of light penetration into tissue. Current neutron-based therapies have sufficient penetration depth but suffer from lack of cancer specificity. In FRINGE we propose a genuinely new hybrid-technology. At its heart are chemical agents (photosensitisers - PS) which preferentially accumulate in the tumours especially in brain cancers where the blood brain barrier is compromised. The PSs designed for FRINGE will contain metal centres like Gadolinium (Gd), to enable interaction with incoming neutrons and facilitate the transfer of neutron energy into electron excitation of the PS, confirmed by concomitant fluorescence emission. Interaction with ambient oxygen will generate reactive oxygen species which will kill the tumour cells. The main scientific breakthrough of this project will be to establish experimental proof-of-principle of this novel neutron-activated therapy. FRINGE will combine the advantages of photomedical therapies (no mutagenic radiation) with the advantages of neutron-based therapies (large penetration depth). The externally-applied neutron beam can be energy-tuned to become therapeutic exactly at the depth of the tumour. Exploiting Gd as a contrast agent, FRINGE can also become a theranostic modality by use of magnetic resonance imaging. FRINGE has the potential of causing immunogenic cell death to cancers which could eliminate occult metastasis and act as a ‘cancer vaccine’. The highly interdisciplinary project team comprises world renowned experts from a unique combination of disciplines: Nuclear physicists, synthetic chemists, photochemists, photobiologists, medical physicists, quantum chemists and radio-oncologists will join forces to lay the foundations for a novel, curative cancer therapy. Fields of science medical and health sciencesbasic medicinepharmacology and pharmacypharmaceutical drugsvaccinesmedical and health sciencesclinical medicineoncologyengineering and technologymedical engineeringdiagnostic imagingmagnetic resonance imaging Keywords Photobiology Photomedicine Medical Physics Porphyrin Chemistry Nuclear Technology Programme(s) H2020-EU.1.2. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Future and Emerging Technologies (FET) Main Programme H2020-EU.1.2.1. - FET Open Topic(s) FETOPEN-01-2018-2019-2020 - FET-Open Challenging Current Thinking Call for proposal H2020-FETOPEN-2018-2020 See other projects for this call Sub call H2020-FETOPEN-2018-2019-2020-01 Funding Scheme RIA - Research and Innovation action Coordinator OSLO UNIVERSITETSSYKEHUS HF Net EU contribution € 1 145 618,75 Address KIRKEVEIEN 166 TARNBYGGET 0450 Oslo Norway See on map Region Norge Oslo og Viken Oslo Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Total cost € 1 145 618,75 Participants (7) Sort alphabetically Sort by Net EU contribution Expand all Collapse all "NATIONAL CENTER FOR SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH ""DEMOKRITOS""" Greece Net EU contribution € 513 437,50 Address END OF PATRIARCHOU GRIGORIOU E AND 27 NEAPOLEOS STREET 15341 Agia Paraskevi See on map Region Αττική Aττική Βόρειος Τομέας Αθηνών Activity type Research Organisations Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Total cost € 513 437,50 UNIVERSITAT DE GIRONA Spain Net EU contribution € 336 250,00 Address PLACA SANT DOMENEC 3 17004 Girona See on map Region Este Cataluña Girona Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Total cost € 336 250,00 KAPPA SOLUTIONS AS Norway Net EU contribution € 446 875,00 Address 4 ETASJE SILURVEIEN 2B 0380 Oslo See on map SME The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed. Yes Region Norge Oslo og Viken Oslo Activity type Private for-profit entities (excluding Higher or Secondary Education Establishments) Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Total cost € 446 875,00 VYSOKA SKOLA CHEMICKO-TECHNOLOGICKA V PRAZE Czechia Net EU contribution € 382 500,00 Address TECHNICKA 5 166 28 Praha See on map Region Česko Praha Hlavní město Praha Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Total cost € 382 500,00 UNIVERSITAT POLITECNICA DE VALENCIA Spain Net EU contribution € 384 375,00 Address CAMINO DE VERA SN EDIFICIO 3A 46022 Valencia See on map Region Este Comunitat Valenciana Valencia/València Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Total cost € 384 375,00 INSTITUTT FOR ENERGITEKNIKK Norway Net EU contribution € 518 625,00 Address INSTITUTTV 18 2007 KJELLER See on map Region Norge Oslo og Viken Viken Activity type Research Organisations Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Total cost € 518 625,00 ACCELOPMENT SCHWEIZ AG Switzerland Net EU contribution € 251 803,75 Address SEEFELDSTRASSE 198 8008 ZURICH See on map SME The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed. Yes Region Schweiz/Suisse/Svizzera Zürich Zürich Activity type Private for-profit entities (excluding Higher or Secondary Education Establishments) Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Total cost € 251 803,75