Scientific Approach
Only a disruptive, ground-breaking approach can fight the highly aggressive and still incurable brain tumour type Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) and thus reduce patient suffering and the explosion in healthcare costs associated with conservative therapies.
Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM)
Every year, more than 240,000 people worldwide are diagnosed with a brain tumour. Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most lethal yet unfortunately the most common brain tumour. The standard-of-care currently available for GBM patients is surgical removal of the affected brain tissue, followed by a combination of radio- and chemotherapy. This non-curative treatment regimen is both physically demanding for the patient and costly for the healthcare system, giving the patients an average of one year survival benefit.
© Bristol-Myers Squibb Company https://crlfoundation.org/glioblastoma-multiforme/
Interdisciplinary Approach for Two Therapy Options
NuCapCure brings together experts in the fields of biochemistry, nuclear physics and radiobiology to jointly develop two complex therapeutic approaches that are capable of curing GBM patients of cancer in a non-invasive way while keeping treatment costs reasonable.
Scheme of research approach for NuCapCure Proton and NuCapCure Neutron therapies
The two envisioned therapies, NuCapCure Proton and NuCapCure Neutron, combine proton radiotherapy, proton-induced PS activation, boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) and neutron-induced PS activation. The aim is for the cancer cells to prepare the chemicals, which will become the “silver bullets”, by which they will self-destruct following neutron or accelerated-proton treatments.
Based on the interdisciplinary approach of NuCapCure, we anticipate several scientific breakthroughs, including externally controlled intracellular chemistry and multi-component neutron and proton therapies. These advances hold the promise of effective GBM treatment and offer potentially curative solutions that could have a positive impact on patients' lives and healthcare systems, both in terms of well-being and cost-effectiveness.
Partner Network Carries Out Joint Research
The NuCapCure consortium of seven partner institutions works closely together in a multi- and interdisciplinary network, from the chemical principles of biosynthesis to the proton and neutron-accelerated therapy concepts based on nuclear physics and radiobiology.
NuCapCure workflow and partner interaction
The scientific part of the project work can be split into four areas:
- Chemical synthesis and NuCapCure compound validation
- Photophysical and photochemical characterisation of NuCapCure compounds
- NuCapCure in vitro efficacy studies
- NuCapCure in vivo efficacy studies
The project includes initial studies on photophysical characterisation and photodynamic therapy (PDT) of various NuCapCure compounds synthesised by the consortium chemists. The proposed NuCapCure treatments will then be validated and optimised in 2D and 3D GBM cell cultures, with the most promising drugs selected for in vivo studies. In the final phase, the efficacy of NuCapCure will be validated in animal GBM tumour models in mice.
Outlook Beyond the Project Duration
After the official end of the project in 2028, there will be medium and long-term transition phases in which the success of the 4.5-year EIC Pathfinder phase should pave the way for an EIC Transition. Additionally, an EIC Accelerator application in envisioned to commercialise the NuCapCure results and their clinical application by around 2040.