Prof. Rachela Popovtzer Awarded Two Grants from the Ministry of Science

Prof. Rachela Popovtzer shows no signs of slowing down: having already won the prestigious ERC Proof of Concept grant, she has now been awarded two additional grants from the Ministry of Science under the Bioconvergence category.

Targeted, Multifunctional Treatment for Breast Cancer

One grant was awarded to Prof. Popovtzer for the development of a breakthrough platform based on multifunctional nanometric gold particles that combine two therapeutic antibodies on the same particle – creating a highly targeted and potent treatment for breast cancer cells. "A unique insulin coating allows the particles to penetrate deep into the tumor, rather than remaining only at its margins. At the same time, the gold particles also serve as CT imaging agents, enabling real-time visualization of where the drug is reaching and how effective it is – and allowing early identification of which patients are likely to respond to the treatment," explains Prof. Popovtzer. "Combining therapy and imaging within the same platform brings us significantly closer to smart, personalized oncological medicine."

A Nanometric Approach to Treating Metastatic Liver Cancer

The second grant was awarded to Prof. Popovtzer for a joint project with Prof. Sharon Rothstein of the Department of Chemistry at Bar-Ilan University, in which an innovative nanometric approach is being developed to treat cancerous metastases in the liver – one of the most difficult and deadliest challenges in oncology. "The research utilizes of glucose-coated radioactive nano-liposomes, which exploit the high metabolic consumption of cancer cells to enter them selectively," says Prof. Popovtzer. "The particles enable targeted therapeutic radiation alongside advanced imaging (SPECT/CT), making it possible not only to treat the metastases, but also to monitor the distribution of the treatment and the response to it in real time. This is a powerful combination of nanotechnology, chemistry, and nuclear medicine, with the potential to change the way metastatic disease is treated."