UC part of European consortium awarded €16 million to develop cutting-edge technology for cancer treatment
The team will be working on an innovative alpha therapy that directly targets cancer cells to help alleviate symptoms and halt the progression of the disease.
Accelerate.EU, a European consortium that includes the University of Coimbra (UC), has been awarded €16 million to develop, test, and implement innovative solutions to enhance cancer care in Europe. The project aims to establish a European network of research centres, hospitals, and companies to improve patient access to advanced cancer treatments, particularly for aggressive cancers such as triple-negative breast cancer, pancreatic cancer, and glioblastoma.
Specifically, they will develop an alpha therapy based on Astatine-211 (211At), a promising alpha-emitting radioisotope in nuclear medicine. This innovative therapeutic strategy allows direct targeting of cancer cells to alleviate symptoms and halt disease progression.
This therapy will use cyclotrons - particle accelerators - and state-of-the-art equipment to produce radiopharmaceuticals for hospital use, primarily in oncology.
The five-year project brings together 17 leading European institutions and companies from 9 countries. It has received funding from the European Commission's Innovative Health Initiative (€8 million) and several industry partners (also €8 million).
Accelerate.EU is jointly coordinated by the Belgian multinational IBA Radiopharma Solutions and the Brussels University Hospital - Jules Bordet Institute, in collaboration with the UC Institute for Nuclear Sciences Applied to Health (ICNAS).
ICNAS Director Antero Abrunhosa says: "This ambitious and innovative project combines academic expertise with industrial innovation to develop new therapeutic agents that will address unmet clinical needs for cancer treatment across Europe, thus improving patients' lives".
Abrunhosa further adds, “In addition to all the research and trials to be carried out as part of Accelerate.EU, the goal is also to establish a stable and reliable cross-European supply chain for 211At, ensuring broader availability and access to this highly promising treatment.”
Accelerate.EU will also offer education and training for professionals to ensure effective knowledge and deployment of these innovative solutions, ensuring long-term dissemination of knowledge in nuclear medicine.