New family of light-activated drugs for the treatment of aggressive cancers such as glioblastoma
Photodynamic therapy is a technique currently used in hospitals to treat certain types of cancer. It consists of the elimination of tumors through the activation with light of drugs called photosensitizers. It is a minimally invasive technique that does not interfere with other treatments, where toxicity is limited only to the irradiated region.
Despite these advantages, photodynamic therapy still has some limitations, such as access to tumors located in deeper areas, due to the limited penetration of short wavelength light and the low concentration of oxygen, which limits the efficacy of photosensitizers approved for clinical use.
A team from the University of Barcelona (UB), led by Professor Vicente Marchán of the Faculty of Chemistry, has received two grants from the Government of Catalonia in the Product and Innovators categories, to develop new photosensitizers for the treatment of tumors that develop under conditions of hypoxia (oxygen deficiency). The researchers have patented a family of molecules based on metal complexes that can be activated with red and near-infrared light, capable of penetrating deeper into tumor tissues. In vitro and in vivo studies have shown that these photosensitizers have great potential for the treatment of hypoxic tumors.
The aim of the new project is to improve these innovative drugs and validate them against very aggressive hypoxic tumors such as glioblastoma, for which there are no pharmacological therapies approved as first-line treatments. In this process, the phototoxicity of the new photosensitizers will be evaluated in vitro and safety and efficacy studies will be carried out in animal models, as well as other actions to promote technology transfer. In this sense, the Innovadors grant will allow the incorporation of personnel to carry out market analysis and commercialization activities, among other transfer activities.
The project, with file number 2024 PROD 00005, has received a grant from the AGAUR within the modality “Ayudas Producto para proyectos innovadores con potencial de incorporación al sector productivo” and another, with file number 2024 INNOV 00002, from the modality “Ayudas Innovadoras para proyectos de valorización y transferencia de conocimiento desarrollados por innovadores en estancias en entidades del sistema de investigación e innovación de Cataluña”.