Applying nanorobot technology to the fight against cancer. The Catalan startup Nanobots Therapeutics has raised 960,000 euros in private capital to advance this objective, in a first tranche of a seed round.
Founded in 2023 as a spin-off of the Institut de Bioenginyeria de Catalunya (Ibec) and the Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (Icrea), the company has developed a technological platform that will allow treating different types of cancer by locally introducing nanorobots into the patient's body. These nanorobots, which are capable of penetrating tissues, will be able to administer drugs directly to cancer cells.
The first preclinical trials in mice "show a reduction of up to 90% in tumor volume with this technique," according to the company's co-founder, researcher Samuel Sánchez. The startup, which has focused in a first phase on bladder cancer, will work in the coming months to adapt and scale its technological platform to other types of cancer.
In addition, the company will also focus on "perfecting the nanomachine that allows nanorobots to be introduced into the patient and guided to cancer cells," as Sánchez details.
The startup Nanobots Therapeutics, which has seven employees, keeps a second investment tranche open, and has received 100,000 euros in aid from the Government's agency for business competitiveness, Acció, within the Startup Capital program. In addition, the project has also received investment from the Government, the Spanish Association Against Cancer, and various business angels who have bet on this technology.