Early detection of treatment response in breast cancer

Introduction

Breast cancer is the prominent cancer among women globally, with over 2 million women diagnosed annually. Even though early detection and advancements in treatment have led to improved outcomes and survival rates, still, 685,000 women died in 2020.

Importance of Precision Medicine

It is thus fundamental to select the best treatment for the individual patient (precision medicine) to improve outcomes and reduce side effects (personalized healthcare). The challenge is that predicting how well a patient responds to the therapy takes many months and is uncertain.

Challenges of Current Approaches

With this trial-and-error approach, patients can be subjected to treatments that have no or very little effect and suffer from side effects. Importantly, precious time can be lost in finding the right treatment.

Proposed Solution: HypMR Imaging

The proposed solution is Hyperpolarized Magnetic Resonance (HypMR) imaging that may be able to detect non-responders to chemotherapy after the first treatments, much earlier than the current 3-4 months of a full treatment cycle.

Benefits of HypMR Imaging

Thus, it may allow clinicians to adjust the therapy to the individual patient to improve the outcome significantly. HypMR is a novel molecular imaging modality that promises to revolutionize diagnostic radiology with a much wider perspective.

Project Team and Goals

The project team comprises world-leading academic, public, and industrial partners in the field of HypMR that will conduct the necessary R&D towards multicenter clinical studies and commercialization of the technique, starting with breast cancer as the first use case.

Impact on SME Polarize

RESPONSE will have significant impacts for the SME Polarize. It will represent a major milestone to raise capital and investments needed for the final steps to market (clinical studies).

Commercialization and Economic Impact

Commercialization of the clinical polarizer and consumables, including the contrast agent, is expected to generate cumulative revenues of more than 250M€, 5 years post-market entry.

Societal Benefits

The societal cost savings on treatments, hospitalization, and quality of life far outweigh the cost of the diagnostic test.