We are pleased to announce that the University of Oxford Isis Fund II has made an investment in Xerion, a nanoparticle company spun-out of the University with a novel treatment for cancer.
Xerion seeks to commercialise Dr Helen Townley’s Research Group’s work into the use of nanoparticles in cancer for therapy, imaging and drug delivery.
The small size of nanoparticles means they can passively accumulate in tumours due to the enhanced permeation and retention (EPR) effect, where certain sizes of molecules accumulate more in tumour cells than in normal tissue.
Encapsulation of chemotherapy drugs within nanoparticles enables them to be delivered directly to the site of the tumour, reducing systemic side effects, and enabling a higher effective dose to be reached in the cancerous tissue.
