Imagine a tiny, inactive 'smart bomb' that travels through your blood to find a tumor. Once it arrives, a standard CT scan acts like a remote trigger, turning these particles into heat and oxygen-based weapons that destroy the cancer from the inside. Because the particles only wake up when the X-ray hits them, the rest of your healthy body stays safe.
Current cancer treatments often damage healthy tissue or cannot reach deep-seated tumors. There is an urgent need for therapies that target metastatic disease without the side effects of high-dose radiation.
A nano-system consisting of 2D layered nanocrystals encapsulated in liposomes that are activated by low-dose CT beams to produce heat and reactive oxygen species.
If you are a CT scanner manufacturer dealing with the need to move from diagnostic imaging to therapeutic intervention — this project developed a method to use low-dose CT beams as a trigger for nanomedicines that kill tumor cells. This transforms a diagnostic tool into a treatment device.
If you are a drug developer dealing with drug-resistant and metastatic tumors — this project developed liposome-encapsulated 2D nanocrystals that deliver therapy directly to the mass. This bypasses the limitations of traditional chemotherapy and light-based therapies.
If you are a nanomaterials producer dealing with the challenge of biocompatible delivery systems — this project developed multifunctional 2D layered nanocrystals. These materials convert X-rays into heat and reactive oxygen species for targeted cell death.
Based on available project data, the specific cost per treatment is not provided; only the EU contribution of EUR 2,740,675 for research and development is listed.
Based on available project data, the project is in the research phase with 2 industrial partners, but specific industrial scaling metrics are not yet detailed.
Based on available project data, licensing terms are not specified, though the project involves a consortium of 7 partners including research institutes and SMEs.
The project period runs from 2023-03-01 to 2027-02-28, suggesting that clinical readiness will be evaluated toward the end of this window.
The system is designed to integrate directly with existing low-energy computed tomography (CT) beams, using the scanner as the activation trigger.
The consortium is a multidisciplinary group of 7 partners across 6 countries, showing a strong international research base. With an industry ratio of 29% (including 2 industrial partners and 1 SME), there is a clear bridge between the 3 universities and 2 research centers and the commercial market, ensuring the technology is developed with industrial application in mind.
Contact the Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR) in Italy
Contact us to connect with the PERSEUS consortium for early licensing discussions.
