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Dendritic nanomaterials for the early diagnosis of cancer

Startup Superbranche, a spin-off from the Institute of Physics and Chemistry of Materials (IPCMS) of Strasbourg was formed in May 2019 aſter 10 years of R&D on hybrid nanomaterials and is positioning itself as a specialized producer of nanomaterials for nanomedicine. Superbranche is developing a new generation of functionalized metallic oxide nanoparticles that are designed to facilitate early diagnosis of and targeted therapy for cancer.

Current limits of nanoparticles used in oncology

Nanomedicine uses nanoparticles to better target tumor cells and limit side effects from chemotherapy. However, two major difficulties still need to be overcome: controlling the particle size so that they can be injected intravenously, and their “vectorization.” This is the ability to graft molecules of biological value that will enable nanoparticles to penetrate the target cells accurately. To overcome these two pitfalls, two Strasbourg researchers, Delphine Felder-Flesch, research director at the Institute of Physics and Materials Science (IPCMS), and Sylvie Begin-Colin, professor at the University of Strasbourg and director of the European School of Chemistry, Polymers and Materials (EPCM) propose using dendritic and magnetic nanoparticles. They founded the start-up Superbranche to commercialize these materials, the results of a ten-year research project.

 

 

Startup Superbranche, a spin-off from the Institute of Physics and Chemistry of Materials (IPCMS) of Strasbourg

A spin-off from the IPCMS, Superbranche was formed in May 2019 after 10 years of R&D on hybrid nanomaterials used in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. The Alsace Region, the Cancéropole Grand Est, the University of Strasbourg, as well as the French National Agency for Research (ANR), the National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) and the National Cancer Institute (INCA) and also the European Union, through its 2020 program, have invested $7 million in this new generation of nanomaterials.