In the absence
of useful therapies for any type of patients, the NoCanTher project seeks to demonstrate the
applicability of nanoparticles in the treatment of pancreatic cancer. Having
BioKeralty as sponsor, the clinical study was the last stage of the
European NoCanTher project, an initiative started in 2016 and funded by the
European Union’s Horizon 2020
research and innovation program. To this aim, the clinical study has been
based on the results obtained in the preclinical stage where BioKeralty played
a key role. BioKeralty’s research was focused on the development of
magnetic iron nanoparticles able to produce magnetic hyperthermia so that
the heat created by these nanoparticles could be applied to sensitize cancer
cells to the standard care, or even, destroy them.

Hyperthermia transforms
electromagnetic energy into heat, which, combined with standard chemotherapy, destroys
tumor cells while controlling the growth of the local tumor. Despite being a
relatively new field of research, this approach may be a feasible option for
cancer patients (especially those who do not respond to the standard treatment
and in whom radiation therapy is particularly invasive). In this context,
BioKeralty has tested this new approach in patients with locally advanced
pancreatic cancer, analyzing the potential of magnetic nanoparticles to
destroy tumor cells in those people with locally advanced pancreatic cancer.
Consequently, nanomedicine could become an alternative therapy to palliative
chemotherapy in the treatment of locally advanced, unresectable and
non-metastasized pancreatic cancer.

Under the
coordination of Instituto Madrileño de Estudios
Avanzados (IMDEA) – Nanonciencia, currently BioKeralty continues working
together with other ten national and international research centers in the implementation
of nanomedicine in early clinical phases of multimodal cancer
therapy.