Dear ETPN members, dear colleagues,
The European Commission has recently launched a consultation about Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan. The ETPN is mobilized to play an active role in this action, since Nanomedicine is bringing a revolution in oncology. By reading this article, we will be able to participate in this consultation and will learn the position of the ETPN about the roadmap of this European Plan to better fight against cancer.
Context
Every year, 3.5 million people in the EU are diagnosed with cancer, and 1.3 million die from it. Over 40% of cancer cases are preventable. Without reversing current trends, it could become the leading cause of death in the EU. Europe’s beating cancer plan aims to reduce the cancer burden for patients, their families and health systems. It will address cancer related inequalities between and within Member States with actions to support, coordinate and complement Member States’ efforts.
ETPN Position on the Roadmap
If you haven’t read it yet, we encourage you to first download here the new roadmap on Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan. Here’s what the ETP Nanomedicine has proposed as a feedback to this document.
The European Technology Platform on Nanomedicine (ETPN) strongly supports and endorses the proposed roadmap for Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan. It focuses on four pillars: prevention, early diagnosis, treatment & social aspects, including equal access to quality and affordable cancer care across Europe. This holistic vision is perfectly in line with the “Continuum of Care” concept we have developed within the NOBEL project (www.nobel-project.eu).
NOBEL is a CSA acting for the synergy of all emerging medical technologies in Europe, including nanomedicine. In this perspective, we are already implementing many concepts of the proposed roadmap, notably the integration of key research areas like “personalised medicine, High Performance Computing, big data, genomics and artificial intelligence”. Therefore, the ETPN helps to shape a common strategy for a better integration of Key Enabling Technologies in oncology. But we are also able to provide the solutions to tackle the medical challenges, through our unique community of technology providers. Finally, we act for education, e.g. the recent 7th Healthtech World Cancer Day (www.hwcd.eu).
WHAT NANOMEDICINE CAN BRING TO FIGHT CANCER.
Indeed, much more efforts for prevention of cancer should be done in Europe. In this perspective, anti-cancer vaccines can notably be developed by mRNA technologies encapsulated in lipid-based nanoparticles. But cancer will unfortunately remain a worldwide burden in the coming years for millions of patients. Nanomedicine can offer great contributions for early diagnosis and better treatments. (1) Early diagnosis requires ultrasensitive measurements of analytes, which can be nanoenabled, e.g. nanostring sequencing technology, nanopattern enabled plasmon resonance, etc. (2) Revolutionary changes in cancer treatment are brought by nanomedicine, as shown by recently approved formulations. Nanotechnologies can lead to improved delivery and co-encapsulation of anticancer drugs (Vyxeos (TM)), radiotherapy enhancers (Hensify (TM)), personalised immuno-therapy (mRNA technology), to improve the therapeutic outcome and patient’s quality of life. There is a pipeline in early clinical phases and in labs, streamlining the infrastructure necessary to bring these products to market approval.
WHAT ETPN CAN BRING.
1) INTEGRATION. We support the integration of knowledge, communication, and networking between different stakeholders involved in cancer research (academia, clinicians, SMEs, industry, EMA, regulatory bodies, and patient associations.), would it be in nanomedicine only, but also by creating common actions with other emerging medical technologies: photonics, robotics, biotechnology, biomaterials, advanced materials, smart systems, digital health, etc.
2) TRANSLATION TO THE CLINIC. The ETPN has a unique track record in accelerating the translation of medical breakthrough to the clinic. For instance, we have created the HealthtechTAB (www.healthtechtab.eu), a unique service in Europe offering custom mentoring from a group of world-class industry experts to selected innovations. The European Nanomedicine Characterization Lab (EUNCL) provides full characterization from a regulatory standpoint. GMP Pilot lines & future Open Test Beds help the production of nanomedicine products in GMP conditions. We wish to continue these actions notably in the cancer field, to transform the best European inventions into successful helpful companies raised in Europe.
LOOKING FOR MORE COORDINATION.
We support the importance of coordination of all cancer-related initiatives: Member states initiatives & EC initiatives including this Beating Cancer Plan, the Mission Cancer, Cluster Health, EUHealthPPP, etc. Maybe the Cancer plan should focus on citizen/patient – health care systems, societal topics, prevention campaigns & screening programs, while the Cluster Health (+ Cluster Digital) & the upcoming EUHealthPPP should focus on technology & industry along the whole continuum of care to achieve the goals.
How to participate to the online consultation?
The Commission would like to hear your views. Now that the call for feedbacks on the roadmap is over, you may still answer the online questionnaire about Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan until the 7th May 2020 (midnight Brussels time).
Through public consultations you can express your views on aspects of EU laws and policies before the Commission finalises its proposals. The consultation is addressed to individual citizens, patients, and carers replying in their personal capacity as well as health professionals and organisations involved in cancer prevention, diagnosis, treatment, follow-up care and research.
ETPN members, please contribute to our common position!
To gather your personal contributions and help building this common ETPN position, we have therefore prepared for ETPN member institutions an online copy of the consultation that you may fill in by clicking here.
Please be kind enough to answer online this questionnaire until Friday April 24.
Indeed, we’ll keep you informed of the outputs of this internal consultation and will send a synthesis of your individual contributions to the European Commission.
Together, let’s take the best of emerging medical technologies and make it available for the fight against Cancer!