project
Anticancer Fine Jewelry
Targeted therapy against hard-to-treat breast cancers
details
patients affected (new diagnoses each year)
Breast cancer: worldwide ~ 2,300,000 Europe (EU-27) ~ 375,000
Type of therapy
Targeted therapy
Support already allocated
1 125 000,00 €
Project start
2025
Like an exceptional jeweler who sets each stone with meticulous care to bring out the light of a piece, our project leader is crafting a new generation of ADCs, targeted cancer therapies designed to eliminate cancer cells while sparing healthy ones.
The technology under development will refine and secure the attachment of toxins to the guided missile (the antibody), making these targeted therapies less toxic and more effective, and opening the door to other innovations. First applied to particularly hard-to-treat breast cancers, it will then be extended to a wide range of other cancers.
The anticancer arsenal includes targeted therapies called ADCs, which use “guided missiles” to carry highly potent toxins directly to cancer cells in order to destroy them.
But these therapeutic jewels still suffer from certain setting flaws.
If the toxins are poorly attached to the missile, they can come loose before reaching their target and damage healthy cells.
The solution developed by our project leader relies on an ultra-precise ADC manufacturing method that makes it possible to firmly anchor the toxins to the missile.
The precious stones are perfectly set to reveal the full beauty and power of the jewel.
Advantage #1: lower toxicity
The toxins remain attached to the missile throughout their journey through the body. Because they are not lost along the way, they will not damage healthy cells.
Advantage #2: greater effectiveness
With this secure delivery, higher doses can be used to increase the treatment’s effectiveness on the targeted cancer cells.
Advantage #3: more innovation
Thanks to these improvements, entirely new designs can be imagined by combining several complementary toxins on a single missile.
ADCs are already regularly used today to treat various cancers (certain breast cancers, bladder cancer, lung cancer, ovarian cancer).
The technology developed by our project leader will first be applied to certain particularly hard-to-treat breast cancers, with the potential to extend to many other cancers.
By improving the safety of ADCs, we will strengthen their usefulness and broaden the range of treatable cancers.
