{"id":6506,"date":"2024-09-17T15:11:08","date_gmt":"2024-09-17T13:11:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bioga.org\/?p=6506"},"modified":"2024-09-17T15:23:24","modified_gmt":"2024-09-17T13:23:24","slug":"batea-oncology-technology-that-traps-tumour-cells","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bioga.org\/en\/batea-oncology-technology-that-traps-tumour-cells\/","title":{"rendered":"Batea Oncology, technology that traps tumour cells"},"content":{"rendered":"
The Galician company Batea Oncology is developing a pioneering treatment for glioblastoma, a brain cancer for which there are hardly any therapeutic options and with a low survival rate.<\/h6>\n

The rafts that float in the Galician estuaries serve as a nest for the mussels so characteristic of its gastronomy, and also give their name to a recently created company that has been working for years to develop a pioneering treatment for glioblastoma, a brain cancer with very few therapeutic options. \u201cWe visualised GlioHook and its effect on tumour cells as the rafts to which mussels are anchored\u201d, describes Sonia Mart\u00ednez to explain how the medical device developed by Batea Oncology, the company she founded together with Alba Ferreir\u00f3s, Miguel Abal, Jorge Barbaz\u00e1n, Eladio Crego, Lorena Alonso and Rafael L\u00f3pez, works.<\/p>\n

Its origin is in another company also with a seafood name, Nasasbiotech, born to put into practice the results of the research carried out between the Hospital Cl\u00ednico Universitario and the Instituto de Investigaci\u00f3n Sanitaria de Santiago de Compostela, in the group of Translational Medical Oncology, Oncomet, led by doctors Rafael L\u00f3pez and Miguel Abal; at the end of 2023 the idea arose to constitute an independent company to focus on the development of the technology for its application in glioblastoma.<\/p>\n

Current treatments for this type of cancer combine surgery with radio and chemotherapy; however, due to the delicate nature of the brain, operations cannot be very aggressive and there are always residual tumour cells, which end up growing and giving rise to relapses. \u201cThe technology we have developed targets precisely these residual cells, with the aim of keeping them under control and thus limiting the recurrence of the tumour,\u201d explains the CEO of Batea Oncology. GlioHook is a device composed of a synthetic biomaterial, which is implanted at the time of surgery in contact with the residual tumour cells: \u201cOn the one hand, it focuses these cells in a controlled place, as they prefer to concentrate on the device rather than infiltrate the healthy brain, and, on the other hand, it makes them more sensitive to radiotherapy,\u201d explains Mart\u00ednez, adding that they have already tested in animal models with the disease, in which they managed to extend survival by 50% more.<\/p>\n

This medical device represents a radical change in the treatment of these brain tumours because it acts purely through a physical mechanism and not a pharmacological one, which greatly reduces the risk of toxicity: \u201cThis mechanism of action is a clear novelty in the field of oncology,\u201d the company stresses.<\/p>\n

The biotech company\u2019s short-term goal is to demonstrate the efficacy of the project in patients. To do this, they must complete a series of tests to ensure the safety of patients, which is what they are working on at the moment. Once this process, known as regulatory preclinical research, is completed, they will start the phase I clinical trial in three Spanish hospitals that have already been contacted, including the hospital in Santiago de Compostela.<\/p>\n

To date, they have invested more than one million euros, \u201cand we estimate that we will need another three million to complete the phase I trial, which could be completed by 2028,\u201d Mart\u00ednez explains. The next phase would involve a second clinical trial with a larger number of patients, which would take until an estimated approval date around 2031: \u201cIt\u2019s a long and very expensive process, because obviously it has to be very patient-friendly,\u201d Mart\u00ednez stresses.<\/p>\n

Batea Oncology is a 100% Galician company; among its founders are the research team that has developed the technology, including Rafael L\u00f3pez and Miguel Abal, but also Jorge Barbaz\u00e1n, who is the company\u2019s scientific director, and the researchers Lorena Alonso and Alba Ferreir\u00f3s. Finally, the two profiles that complete the team are Eladio Crego and Sonia Mart\u00ednez Arca, experts in startup management. All of them have extensive experience in biomedical research, innovation and entrepreneurship in Galicia. The company is a partner of the Cl\u00faster Tecnol\u00f3xico Empresarial das Ciencias da Vida (Bioga), which represents the biotechnological ecosystem of Galicia, with more than 160 companies with a turnover of more than 1,500 million euros and employing 6,000 people.<\/p>\n

Original news: Tecnolog\u00eda que atrapa c\u00e9lulas tumorales \u2013 lavozdegalicia.es (08\/09\/2024).<\/a><\/h6>\n
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