Prof. Rachela Popovtzer wins ERC Grant

Prof. Rachela Popovtzer of the Faculty of Engineering won the ERC’s prestigious Proof of Concept grant, to support her development of the GOLDEN-RT platform, an innovative, nanotechnology-based platform designed to allow precise systemic radiotherapy treatment of cancerous cells and microscopic metastases.

The GOLDEN-RT platform is intended to improve the precision of radiotherapy treatment, increasing its efficiency while minimizing damage to healthy tissue,” says Prof. Popovtzer. “This is an important stage of science departing the confines of the lab and affecting the lives of patients. The goal is to pave the way for the next generation of oncology treatment: safer and more precise.”

Nanoparticles, Mega Potential

This is the third time that Prof. Popovtzer has been recognized by the ERC for her accomplishments. In 2024 she won the Proof of Concept grant for developing GOLDEN-ADC, to improve precision in transporting drugs to tumors. In the scope of the platform, Prof. Popovtzer created gold insulin-coated nanoparticles to be used as an innovative antibody drugs conjugates (ADC) platform – engineered antibodies that use special bonds to carry drugs that can hinder the tumorous cells. Prof. Popovtzer’s platform overcomes key challenges in today’s ADC landscape, including the drugs’ ability to bind with the antibody and improve treatment efficiency.

In 2022, Popovtzer won the Consolidator grant for her BrainCRISPR project, an innovative nano platform for transporting CRISPR systems to the brain so as to enable treatment of rare genetic diseases. The platform is based on gold nanoparticles that allow the CRISPR system to cross the blood-brain barrier, into the deep regions of the brain and beyond cell barriers. This technology allows efficient editing of diseased brain cells, and can stretch the limits of genetic healing and open up a plethora of possibilities for treating brain disease and other genetic conditions.