Precision Oncology: Targeting colorectal cancer with light-activated Silver NanoBullets
This project brings together GenLumina B.V. and the Leiden University Medical Center to develop a new light-activated therapy for cancer. By combining expertise from academia and industry, we aim to create a precision treatment based on tiny “silver nanobullets” that can be guided to tumors and activated with light. This public-private partnership is crucial to speeding up the path from scientific discovery to real clinical application.
Our initial aim is to treat colorectal cancer, which is the third most diagnosed cancer worldwide and the second leading cause of cancer deaths. In the Netherlands alone, more than 12,000 people are diagnosed each year. While survival is high when the disease is detected early, the outlook worsens dramatically if the cancer spreads. Current treatments, such as surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy, can be effective but often cause serious side effects and harm healthy tissue. There is a pressing need for more precise and less invasive therapies that improve survival while reducing the burden on patients and healthcare systems.
Our solution is to use silver nanobullets, which are small, smart particles delivered directly to cancer cells with the help of LUMC’s newly developed targeting peptides. Once at the tumor site, these particles remain harmless until exposed to a specific type of light. The light activates the nanobullets, turning them into highly effective tumor-killers that do not damage surrounding healthy tissue. This precise, local activation makes the treatment both safer and more effective than many existing options.
The project will deliver a proof-of-concept therapy, tested in laboratory and preclinical settings, that demonstrates the safety and effectiveness of light-activated silver nanobullets. These results will form the foundation for future clinical trials, with the long-term goal of offering patients a safer, more precise cancer therapy.
