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Cebiotex, the company developing the tissue, located at the Barcelona Scientific Park, opens a second crowdfunding round at CapitalCell.net to guarantee that the product also reaches the pediatric market
Researchers at UPC and Sant Joan de Déu develop a nanofiber tissue for local cancer treatment
With this tissue, which can be impregnated with antitumor drugs, the surgeons can cover the surgical site after removing the tumor in order to eliminate the remaining tumor leftovers. The efficacy of the treatment has been proved in animals and the company plans to initiate human trials in the near future.
03/05/2016
Researchers at Hospital Sant Joan de Déu and Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) at the Terrassa Campus, through the spin-off Cebiotex, have developed a biodegradable (absorbable by the body) nanofiber tissue which can be impregnated by antitumor drugs and used by the surgeons to cover, during the surgery aimed at removing the tumor, the surgical site to eliminate the remaining tumor cells. The product has been patented by Hospital Sant Joan de Déu and Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) and licensed to Cebiotex, which is currently based in the Barcelona Scientific Park (PCB).
This local delivery system is less toxic and more effective than the current consolidation treatment after surgery: radiotherapy. The ultimate goal will be to avoid radiotherapy treatments and its secondary effects in growing patients. The treatment is based on placing the membrane on the surgical site after the tumor extraction, with the drugs being released at high concentrations directly on the affected area. Researchers have proved the efficacy of this new antitumor drug delivery system with animals and are starting the procedures to obtain the European Medicines Agency (EMA)’s autorization to initiate preclinical and clinical phases for its first drug aimed at treating Soft Tissue Sarcoma (STS).
Cebiotex, a biotechnological company spun off the InnotexCenter/INTEXTER at UPC and participated by 58 private investors and Hospital Sant Joan de Déu, was founded on 2012 in order to develop the project. Joan Bertran, one of its co-founders, is a textile engineer who very closely lived the death of a friend’s daughter and proposed to researchers at UPC and Sant Joan de Déu to work in the creation of biomaterials to provide a medical solution for tumors. The first product has been designed for treatment of soft tissue sarcoma but new materials will be developed for child and adult tumors. In the adult market new products for colon, breast, ovary, pancreas cancer and glioblastoma (brain cancer), and in the pediatric market the targets will be neuroblastoma, glioblastoma, rabdomiosarcoma, osteosarcoma or Ewing’s sarcoma.
Cancer is the deadliest disease for children in Europe: more than 300 infants below 14 years old die yearly in Spain, 3.000 in Europe. It is estimated that 250.000 new cancer cases are diagnosed every year, 90.000 of which do not survive. Nonetheless, during the last 20 years, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved only 3 new antitumor drugs for pediatric use, because due to its low frequency (when compared to adult cancers) they do not receive as much attention from the Pharmaceutical Industry nor the Investment Funds that accelerate the development of new drugs.
On April the 15th, Cebiotex S.L. opened its second bridge financing round of 300.000 euros aimed at private investors that want to acquire shares through the European biotech crowdfunding platform CAPITAL CELL, which has recently been recognized as alternative funding entity by the Generalitat de Catalunya. This second round is opened after going through B-Ready, the accelerating program by SHIP2B, and after successfully closing, in just 11 days, the first 300.000 euro round with private investors and Business Angels from ESADE BAN and SHIP2B. With this initiative the project will progress while guaranteeing that the new drugs developed will not reach the adult cancer market only (which, being more frequent, is also more economically profitable and attractive to traditional investors), but also pediatric cancer, orphan diseases due to its low prevalence.
Investments in biotechnological projects such as Cebiotex offer great returns of investment to private investors and allow for greater diversification among different projects. Furthermore, in the case of Cebiotex in particular, the investment also has a social impact, since it will support the company’s pediatric vision.
To be part of the project as an investor, it is necessary to sign up here.
This local delivery system is less toxic and more effective than the current consolidation treatment after surgery: radiotherapy. The ultimate goal will be to avoid radiotherapy treatments and its secondary effects in growing patients. The treatment is based on placing the membrane on the surgical site after the tumor extraction, with the drugs being released at high concentrations directly on the affected area. Researchers have proved the efficacy of this new antitumor drug delivery system with animals and are starting the procedures to obtain the European Medicines Agency (EMA)’s autorization to initiate preclinical and clinical phases for its first drug aimed at treating Soft Tissue Sarcoma (STS).
Cebiotex, a biotechnological company spun off the InnotexCenter/INTEXTER at UPC and participated by 58 private investors and Hospital Sant Joan de Déu, was founded on 2012 in order to develop the project. Joan Bertran, one of its co-founders, is a textile engineer who very closely lived the death of a friend’s daughter and proposed to researchers at UPC and Sant Joan de Déu to work in the creation of biomaterials to provide a medical solution for tumors. The first product has been designed for treatment of soft tissue sarcoma but new materials will be developed for child and adult tumors. In the adult market new products for colon, breast, ovary, pancreas cancer and glioblastoma (brain cancer), and in the pediatric market the targets will be neuroblastoma, glioblastoma, rabdomiosarcoma, osteosarcoma or Ewing’s sarcoma. Cancer is the deadliest disease for children in Europe: more than 300 infants below 14 years old die yearly in Spain, 3.000 in Europe. It is estimated that 250.000 new cancer cases are diagnosed every year, 90.000 of which do not survive. Nonetheless, during the last 20 years, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved only 3 new antitumor drugs for pediatric use, because due to its low frequency (when compared to adult cancers) they do not receive as much attention from the Pharmaceutical Industry nor the Investment Funds that accelerate the development of new drugs.
On April the 15th, Cebiotex S.L. opened its second bridge financing round of 300.000 euros aimed at private investors that want to acquire shares through the European biotech crowdfunding platform CAPITAL CELL, which has recently been recognized as alternative funding entity by the Generalitat de Catalunya. This second round is opened after going through B-Ready, the accelerating program by SHIP2B, and after successfully closing, in just 11 days, the first 300.000 euro round with private investors and Business Angels from ESADE BAN and SHIP2B. With this initiative the project will progress while guaranteeing that the new drugs developed will not reach the adult cancer market only (which, being more frequent, is also more economically profitable and attractive to traditional investors), but also pediatric cancer, orphan diseases due to its low prevalence.
Investments in biotechnological projects such as Cebiotex offer great returns of investment to private investors and allow for greater diversification among different projects. Furthermore, in the case of Cebiotex in particular, the investment also has a social impact, since it will support the company’s pediatric vision.
To be part of the project as an investor, it is necessary to sign up here.
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