New company paves the way for advanced treatment of brain cancer
Three researchers have developed a new treatment for glioblastoma, the most deadly and common form of brain cancer. Now they are starting a company to achieve an important goal: to revolutionise the treatment of the disease and make it available to patients.
Funding from the BioInnovation Institute (BII) has enabled researchers Helge Thisgaard, Bo Halle and Andreas Jensen to found the company GlioRay ApS. This step will pave the way for their new treatment for brain cancer.
‘Our goal is to improve survival rates for patients with glioblastoma, a disease that unfortunately has not seen significant advances in treatment options over the past several years,’ says Helge Thisgaard, CEO and co-founder of GlioRay.
‘Thanks to the support from BII and our inclusion in their Venture Lab entrepreneurship programme, we are well positioned to take the next crucial steps in the development of our new treatment method.’
Radioactive molecules attack diseased cells
The researchers’ treatment for brain cancer is based on radioactive molecules that locate the cancer cells in the brain and attack them with a specific form of radiation.
Using catheters, physicians can inject the newly developed radiopharmaceutical directly into the patient’s brain.
Unlike traditional radiotherapy, which affects the tissue from the outside, this method works as a form of internal radiotherapy. This method minimises damage to healthy tissue.
”Our goal is to improve survival rates for patients with glioblastoma, a disease that unfortunately has not seen significant advances in treatment options over the past several years
Funding for trials
‘It's important that we bring this innovative treatment closer to patients. Our method is targeted and gentle, and with our technology, we are opening a new path for the treatment of glioblastoma that has the potential to change the prognosis for many patients,’ says Bo Halle, neurosurgeon and co-founder of GlioRay.
‘We look forward to taking the next step towards clinical trials.’
The vision of the company founders is clear: They want to secure the funding needed to bring the treatment to market so they can improve survival rates for glioblastoma patients.
The founders of the company Glioray Aps
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Helge Thisgaard, hospital physicist at the Department of Nuclear Medicine, Odense University Hospital / Associate Professor at the Department of Clinical Research, University of Southern Denmark
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Bo Halle, consultant, neurosurgeon, Department of Neurosurgery, Odense University Hospital / Associate Professor at the Department of Clinical Research, University of Southern Denmark
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Andreas Jensen, senior researcher and pharmacist at the Hevesy Laboratory, Technical University of Denmark.
About Bioinnovation Institute
- BII was established in 2018 with support from the Novo Nordisk Foundation to commercialize research in life sciences.
- In total, BII has supported 130 start-ups and translational projects with nearly 750 million kroner.
- So far, start-ups have raised nearly 4.5 billion Danish kroner.
- BII supports start-ups and translational research projects in areas such as the development of new drugs, health technologies, women’s health, bioindustrial production, and quantum technology.
- Read more at bii.dk.
About Glioray
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GlioRay ApS is a company founded by three researchers from SDU, OUH & DTU with a focus on developing a new and potent treatment for glioblastoma.
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By using radioactive nanocarriers that emit Auger radiation, GlioRay aims to improve survival rates for patients with this serious form of brain cancer.
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The BII grant is 4 million kroner.
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Read more at glioray.com or write to Helge Thisgaard.