The University of Navarra participates in two projects selected by the Spanish Ministry of Industry.
Researchers participating in the first CÉNIT program will focus on lung cancer and controlled release of drugs.
The University of Navarra participates in two of the groups approved by the Ministry of Industry in its program of National Strategic Consortia in research Technical (CENIT). Firstly, researchers from CIMA and the University Clinic of the University of Navarra will contribute with their scientific work on lung cancer within the project "Oncnosis" which, with a budget of 26.6 million euros, covers 4 types of cancer (ovarian, lung, colorectal and melanoma).
This project aims to exploit the market potential for the three types of companies that make up the consortium: pharmaceutical, biotechnology and engineering/telecommunications. The platform, promoted by group Ferrer, includes, in addition to CIMA, the entities Oryzon Genomics, Siemens, Laboratorios LETI, Ingenasa, Integromics, Advancell and Solutex, among others. Also participating in the project are centers associated with the committee Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, hospitals such as the Clínica Universitaria de Navarra, technology parks and universities.
In addition, the School Pharmacy and the Radiopharmacy Service of the University Clinic are part of the second group C . The work of the researchers of the Special Line of Nanotechnologies and Controlled Drug Release, attached to the department of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Technology, will consist of developing prototypes of nanoparticles associated with active molecules to facilitate their administration by different routes. budget The project "Nanofarma" will have a budget of 38 million euros.
Specifically, scientists will focus on the design of new drug delivery systems capable of selectively delivering the compound to the target organ, tissue or cell. In this way, it will be possible to improve the therapeutic properties of the drugs of the different companies in this industry.
Pharmamar, Neuropharma, Rovi, Lipotec and group FAES laboratories promote the platform. The project also involves centers associated with different Schools of Pharmacy of Spanish universities, including the University of Navarra, the University of the Basque Country and the Complutense University of Madrid.
The CENIT program, of the Ministry of Industry, seeks to promote public-private cooperation in research and development+i (research, development and innovation). The overall investment is estimated at 200 million euros over 4 years. 53 consortiums applied to the official call for proposals, of which 16 have been selected C , comprising 175 companies and more than 200 groups of research with 800 professionals.
Half of the companies involved are small and medium-sized, and the professionals come from public centers, universities, technology centers and non-profit research entities.