PLUMESTARS SRL

Their core work

PLUMESTARS SRL is an Italian biotech SME based in Parma that develops advanced pharmaceutical drug delivery systems. Their work sits at the intersection of nanomedicine and targeted therapy: they design bioinspired nanoparticles for needle-free inhalation delivery of cardiovascular drugs, and implantable polymer films for localized chemotherapy in cancer patients. In the CUPIDO consortium, they contributed to engineering hybrid nanoparticles that carry drugs directly to cardiac tissue via inhalation, bypassing the need for injections. Through their own Hyalcis initiative, they developed a hyaluronic acid-cisplatin film designed to be implanted after surgery to prevent malignant mesothelioma recurrence.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In their first H2020 engagement (from 2017), PLUMESTARS worked within a large consortium on cardiovascular nanomedicine — bioinspired hybrid particles, inhalation delivery routes, and needle-free administration. By 2019, they independently coordinated a smaller feasibility project that pivoted from cardiovascular disease to oncology, applying a different delivery mechanism (implantable film rather than inhaled nanoparticles) to mesothelioma treatment. The shift suggests PLUMESTARS is broadening its drug delivery platform across multiple therapeutic areas while moving toward proprietary product development under its own coordination.

PLUMESTARS is expanding from cardiovascular nanomedicine into oncology while transitioning from consortium participant to independent project coordinator, signaling a company building its own proprietary product pipeline.

How they like to work

PLUMESTARS has operated in both roles: joining as a technical partner in a large multi-country RIA consortium (CUPIDO, 12+ partners across 7 countries) and independently coordinating a lean SME Instrument Phase 1 feasibility project (Hyalcis). This dual track suggests a company that can deliver focused specialist input within large consortia while simultaneously advancing its own technology independently. Their small size means they bring concentrated formulation expertise rather than management capacity or large-scale infrastructure.

Through just two projects, PLUMESTARS connected with 12 unique consortium partners across 7 countries, largely through their participation in the well-networked CUPIDO consortium, which gave the company significant European exposure early in their H2020 activity. Their base in Parma places them within Italy's pharmaceutical manufacturing cluster, a natural hub for industry-research partnerships.

What sets them apart

PLUMESTARS occupies a rare position where academic-grade nanomedicine research meets commercial pharmaceutical development inside an SME structure — they are not a university lab, which means they are closer to product realization and clinical application than most nanomedicine groups. Their two projects cover fundamentally different delivery mechanisms (inhaled nanoparticles and implantable films), suggesting a platform capability rather than single-technology dependence. For a consortium builder in pharma, drug delivery devices, or oncology, they offer hands-on formulation expertise with the flexibility and speed of a small company.

Highlights from their portfolio

• CUPIDO
  The largest of their two projects (€300,000 EC contribution), CUPIDO is a multi-country RIA consortium developing bioinspired nanoparticles for inhaled cardiovascular therapy — a technically ambitious combination of nanomedicine and needle-free delivery that embedded PLUMESTARS in a high-profile European research network.
• Hyalcis
  Coordinated independently by PLUMESTARS under SME Instrument Phase 1, Hyalcis is the company's own proprietary innovation — a hyaluronic acid-cisplatin implantable film for mesothelioma, one of the rarest and hardest-to-treat cancers, with almost no post-surgical options available.