Lumox has been selected for the national Biotech Booster programme and awarded €200,000 to prepare its light-activated cancer medicine for the road to the clinic.

One of the biggest steps in developing a new cancer medicine is proving that it can be made at a larger scale. Without that proof, no matter how promising the science, patients will never see it.

“We want to get ready to use our medicine in patients,” says co-founder Dr. Sebas Pronk. “This will still take some time, but obtaining proof-of-concept that our medicine can be produced on a larger scale is essential. The Biotech Booster programme makes this possible.”

From the lab bench to the clinic

With the Biotech Booster support, the Lumox team will improve the production process of its medicine in preparation for human trials, conduct in vitro toxicity and pharmacology studies, and perform efficacy testing. The therapy, Rapid PhotoTherapy, combines tumor-seeking nanobodies with a light-activated drug: after injection, the medicine automatically finds the tumor, where harmless light switches it on to destroy cancer cells while preserving the surrounding tissue.

From the lab bench, to cats with cancer, and eventually to patients: every step brings Lumox closer to what matters most, treating cancer without the devastating side effects.

About Lumox — Lumox is a Utrecht-based biotech company developing Rapid PhotoTherapy: a new generation of precision cancer medicines that combine a tumor-seeking nanobody with a light-activatable drug. The medicine remains inactive in the body until it is switched on with harmless light, exactly where and when it is needed, killing cancer cells while sparing healthy tissue. Lumox builds on more than a decade of research at Utrecht University and works closely with UMC Utrecht. More information: www.lumoxbiotech.com