New funding for bringing to market an innovative treatment for bone cancer with plasma gas-treated hydrogels

Dr. Cristina Canal, head of the PlasmaMed Lab and member of the Biomaterials, Biomechanics and Tissue Engineering Research Group (BBT), has been one of the three Catalan researchers awarded with a Proof of Concept (PoC) grant by the European Research Council (ERC) to facilitate exploring the innovation and commercial potential of her ERC funded research in the APACHE project.

TRANSFORMER project (Transforming bone cancer therapy with composite biomaterials encapsulating plasma-generated RONS) will develop a product that combines biomaterials for bone regeneration with an innovative treatment based on plasma gas-treated hydrogels, which induce cancer cell death. 

The development of this new therapy for bone cancer, avoiding the side effects of conventional treatments such as chemotherapy, and aiding bone regeneration when the tumour has been surgically resected takles the challenges imposed by osteosarcoma, a rare disease that affects less than 0.2% of all cancers diagnosed.

In the words of Dr. Canal, "We want our technology to get to market so that one day this therapy can benefit patients". She adds that the grant will support "developing this novel technology by preparing it for clinical development and also exploring product viability and designing a business plan to attract investors".