Wiktor Szymanski awarded NWO ENW M2 grant

Wiktor Szymanski and surgeon Schelto Kruijff (UMCG) have been awarded an ENW M2 grant and will receive €825,316 for their project titled “Pioneering photoacoustic imaging for tumour-specific image-guided photopharmacology” (PHONIC), which aims to explore the theme of curing with light and listening to its treatment effects.

Photopharmacology enables precise pharmacotherapy in time and space by designing drugs whose activity can be controlled with light. However, without the support of modern medical imaging methods to reveal the location of the disease and the therapy activation, photopharmacology remains blind. In this project, the researchers will, for the first time, synergize photopharmacology with optoacoustic imaging to create a theranostic treatment modality that allows for on-the-fly monitoring of drug activation and its outcomes. They will realize this concept in the context of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) treatment, where it can substitute aggressive surgical therapy that results in serious morbidity.

More information on this rounds’ awarded M projects.