The HORIZON 2020, WIDESPREAD-06-2020-ERA Chairs, funded the ESEI-BioMed project for advancing tumour diagnostics and nanomedicine in the frame of the new translational research centre, TRANSCEND, at the Regional Institute of Oncology Iasi, Romania
The ESEI-BioMed project titled “Enhancing and Strengthening the Excellence in Interdisciplinary Biomedical Research at TRANSCEND” is currently implemented within the TRANSCEND Research Centre at the Regional Institute of Oncology Iasi (IRO). After almost six years of implementation, the official funding period of the project will end in December 2026. Briefly, the ambitious goal of the project is to promote an institutional reform aiming at unlocking the research potential and becoming a visible nanomedicine research hub for oncology on the map of the European Research Area (ERA).
To achieve this objective, the project seeks to establish a model of leadership defined by experience, professional excellence, and excellent research management in the field of nanomedicine. According to the Nanomedicine Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda 2016-2023 published by the European Technology Platform for Nanomedicine (ETPN), nanomedicine has the potential of revolutionising medicine and providing cost-effective novel therapies and diagnostics (Fig. 1). These achievements are possible because nanotechnology has the necessary “tools for analysis and manipulation of biological processes at the nanoscale, where diseases initiate and progress. The result is an increasingly better understanding of the molecular biology of diseases, leading to new targets for more specific and earlier diagnostic and therapeutic treatments.” As a result, medicine can become more predictive, preventive, and personalised. This accomplishment is even more critical and useful in the context of non-communicable diseases, among which cancer is the second leading cause of mortality. Moreover, in the last few years, the incidence among people below 65 has seen a worrying increase. Therefore, the concept and the activities of the ESEI-BioMed project are rooted within this vision.
Key achievements
The key achievements of the ESEI-BioMed project are illustrated in Fig. 2 and shortly described in the following sections.
Creating research infrastructure and building institutional capacity
The most significant outcome of the ESEI-BioMed project is the creation of the NanoTechnology Laboratory (NTL), which is focused on advancing scientific research and innovation for cancer diagnosis and therapy by means of nanomedicine within the TRANSCEND research centre at IRO. The laboratory is now fully functional, with a clear scientific agenda aligned with both national and European priorities in cancer and nanomedicine. The project promoted an institutional reform, with an impact on every administrative structure, that is, human resources, accounting, IT, purchase, and legal departments.
The ESEI-BioMed holds a strategic position in the Romanian healthcare system. For instance, the efforts made and the achievements laid the foundation for nanomedicine research targeted to oncology within the NE of Romania. By extending the borders of this geographical area, it is worth emphasising that this ERA-Chair project remains unique in the Romanian health care system, since no other similar project was awarded to any other university hospital or even to a university of medicine. This pioneering position favoured both achievements and challenges, which resulted in positioning IRO, through the ESEI-BioMed project and NTL, on the ERA map. Thus, the project plays a key role since it opens a broad perspective on nanomedicine for oncology beyond its official lifetime. Yet, continuous effort and appropriate funding will be needed to consolidate and preserve this position and constantly contribute to the nanomedicine research for oncology in ERA. The ESEI-BioMed project also demonstrated the capacity to attract funding for establishing NTL, as the first awarded project under the umbrella of the ESEI-BioMed significantly contributed to this aim. Moreover, the created infrastructure and equipment ensure the sustainability of the initiated research activities beyond the project, while strengthening the position of NTL and, by extension, IRO within the European nanomedicine research community.
Human capacity building and scientific outputs
The research team of NTL is young and dynamic, mainly including PhD students, research assistants, and postdocs. Apart from this core, the NTL become an attraction point for future specialists, as many undergraduate and master students from the local universities performed their final theses within this group. Therefore, the set-up team represents another strong and valuable achievement of the ESEI-BioMed project. The team is committed to increasing the scientific and innovation potential of the laboratory and, by extension, of IRO. For building capacity, a structured programme for training was established for the team, which included participation in summer schools, short visits, conferences and other professional development activities. Since their recruitment at the end of 2023, and as a result of the investment in their professional development, the scientific outputs have increased. Thus, publication of the relevant research results in ISI-ranked journals, such as International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, Materials & Design, ACS Omega, Molecular Pharmaceutics, Scientific Reports, Pharmaceutics, etc. resulted in a total IF of 63 to date. Also, dissemination of results through participation in relevant conferences with invited and regular orals, flash, and poster presentations summarised ~80 contributions, facilitating the reinforcement of visibility and integration of the NTL within the European nanomedicine-oriented scientific community.
Advancing innovation, collaboration, and knowledge transfer
The commitment of the ESEI-BioMed project for the transfer of knowledge and/or the most promising scientific results towards industry and any other innovation stakeholders was reinforced by the creation of a Technology Transfer Office (TTO) within the institute in conformity with the planning of the ESEI-BioMed project. This achievement marks a critical step for the innovative capacity of NTL and IRO. The team also manages the intellectual property rights and is involved in professional development by participation in specialised training and events, most of which are organised by the Association of European Science and Technology Transfer Professionals (ASTP). The efforts made in creating the landscape for the innovation favoured the submission of the first patent application from the research conducted within the ESEI-BioMed project. This first submitted patent application is a trustworthy indicator of the innovation capacity of IRO and a guarantee for future industrial partnerships. The ESEI-BioMed team also proved the capacity of attracting new funds with several project proposals awarded.
At the same time, the project has effectively extended the national and international collaborations. These collaborations take multiple forms, including memoranda of agreement, consortia for project applications, and research conducted independently of formal agreements or funding applications. Several memoranda of agreement have been signed with local and national academic and research institutions since the ESEI-BioMed started in 2021, further consolidating long-term partnerships and supporting knowledge exchange and joint research activities. Preliminary collaborations with clinicians at IRO are exploring SERS-based blood analysis in cancer patients for potential non-invasive diagnostic applications.
Among the initiatives ended with the creation of consortia, an international consortium, involving academia and private companies, for applying to the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Staff Exchange call, is worth mentioning. The awarded 48-month project titled ‘Health-Active Responsive Materials: Development, Stability, Safety, and Fate Evaluation in Complex Biological Media’ (HEALSAFE) will be launched in September 2026 and will further strengthen interdisciplinary research in responsive nanomaterials for oncologic applications.
Another important achievement is the bilateral project PN IV–PCB-RO-MD-2024 project titled ‘Understanding the Process and Formulation Variables in the Design of pH-Sensitive Liposomes for Anticancer Drug Delivery’ (OncoSensLip), implemented in collaboration between the Regional Institute of Oncology Iasi (NanoTechnology Laboratory), Romania and the ‘Nicolae Testemitanu’ State University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Chisinau, Republic of Moldova. The project, started in October 2025, is implemented for 24 months and focuses on the development of pH-sensitive liposomal formulations for anticancer drug delivery. In the meantime, the project consolidates the research capacity of both partner institutions through joint activities and training.
In the context of collaboration and knowledge transfer, participation in two COST Actions and membership in the European Technology Platform for Nanomedicine (ETPN) can also be considered outcomes of the opportunities created by the ESEI-BioMed project. They play a key role in establishing new contacts, facilitating mutual access to infrastructure and expertise, and finally raising awareness of the research conducted at NTL and TRANSCEND.
Outreach and societal engagement
The team of the project was committed to communicating the grant and its results beyond the narrow scientific community. Media appearances, newspaper articles, workshops, newsletters, open days brochures, flyers, posters, and promotional materials have been employed to reach the broad community. The first aim was to enhance the understanding of the community on nanomedicine for oncology and how it can increase the precision of diagnosis, ameliorate the therapy, and ultimately improve the quality of life. The second aim, but equally important, was to inspire the young students (high school, undergraduate, and master’s), with whom our team discussed during the last five years, towards a career in academia/science. Therefore, all these efforts certainly contribute to closing the gap between science and society.
Key scientific contributions to the European nanomedicine research
The scientific component of the ESEI-BioMed is focused on therapy and diagnosis of cancers, either separately or integrated in the theranostic concept. Practically, it is structured into several topics, as follows: development of (magneto)(stimuli-sensitive) liposomes for drug delivery and imaging, development of magnetic nanoparticles for hyperthermia, imaging and controlled drug release, development of layered double hydroxides for drug delivery, photodynamic therapy and imaging, development of non-invasive methods for the highly precise analysis of important biomarkers in biological fluids, such as Raman/SERS spectroscopy (Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy) (Fig.3). All of them addresses the key challenges in oncologic disease, such as improving drug efficiency, controlling release mechanisms, and enhancing diagnostic accuracy. In the following, a short description of the key result is provided.
Magnetic nanoparticles for MRI
Precise-engineering of monodisperse magnetite nanoparticles with low-level of cobalt doping for enhanced MRI contrast performance, Materials & Design 262 (2026) 115386.
The study focuses on the precise engineering of magnetite nanoparticles with controlled low levels of cobalt doping (1, 5, and 10%) while keeping unaltered the Fe3+/Fe2+ = 2/1 ratio of pure magnetite, aiming to enhance their performance as MRI contrast agents. It was demonstrated that carefully introduced cobalt ions within the inverse spinel structure of magnetite can significantly improve the magnetic properties of the nanoparticles while preserving their structural integrity and uniform size distribution. This fine-tuning of composition and structure resulted in improved imaging performance, making the nanoparticles more effective for magnetic resonance imaging applications. The study is important because it shows how chemical engineering at the nanoscale can directly translate into better diagnostic tools for cancer imaging, contributing to the development of safer and more efficient nanoparticle-based contrast agents.
Layered double hydroxides for drug delivery
LDH-chitosan bionanocomposites for oncologic applications: A refreshing perspective on the mutual influence through intermolecular forces toward controlled morphology and dispersion, Int. J. Biol. Macromol., 329 (2025) 147495.
This work explored the development of layered double hydroxides (LDH) – chitosan bionanocomposites designed for oncological applications, with a focus on understanding how intermolecular forces influence material morphology and dispersion. By changing the preparation approach, which included a pre-adsorption of metal cations on chitosan dissolved in situ, the interaction between LDH and polymer can be finely tuned to achieve outstanding control of the morpho-structural organisation of LDH plate-like crystals, which is essential for improving material performance in biomedical applications. By clarifying how these molecular interactions govern the final properties of the composite system, the study provides valuable insights into the rational design of hybrid nanomaterials. This work is important for the development of more controllable nanostructures for cancer-related applications.
Engineering the Morphostructural Properties and Drug Loading Degree of Organic-Inorganic Fluorouracil-MgAl LDH Nanohybrids by Rational Control of Hydrothermal Treatment, ACS Omega, 8 (2023) 26102.
This study deals with the engineering of organic–inorganic nanohybrids based on magnesium–aluminium LDH loaded with the anticancer drug, fluorouracil. We were particularly interested in observing how the conditions of the hydrothermal treatment influence the morpho-structural properties and drug loading capacity of LDH. We demonstrated that rational control of the synthesis parameters (i.e., temperature and time of hydrothermal treatment) allows fine-tuning of particle structure, morphology, and drug loading, directly affecting the performance of the resulting nanocarriers. This approach provides a clear link between synthesis conditions and functional properties, enabling better design of drug delivery systems. Moreover, investigations performed for the samples recovered after controlled release shed more light on the release mechanism, which is mainly ion exchange between the FU and PO42– anions at physiological pH (7.4), while dissolution of the inorganic component is predominant at the acidic pH (e.g., 6.4). The study is important because it highlights the key role played by the synthesis conditions in developing nanomaterials for more efficient anticancer therapies.
MnAl-Layered Double Hydroxide Nanosheets Infused with Fluorouracil for Cancer Diagnosis and Therapy, ACS Appl. Nano Mater. 4 (2021) 2061.
This contribution was focused on the design and synthesis of a theranostic nanoconstruct based on LDH. The materials contain manganese in the brucite-like sheets (Mn/Al = 2/1) as a contrast agent for MRI and fluorouracil (FU; Al³﹢/FU = 1.4) as a model anticancer drug in the interlayer space. The samples have been prepared by coprecipitation (CP) at low supersaturation and pH 10, and CP coupled with ion-exchange to increase the amount of loaded drug. We demonstrated that these nanostructured systems can effectively integrate diagnostic and therapeutic functions within a single platform, enabling controlled drug delivery while acting as contrast agents. We succeeded in improving the longitudinal relaxivity as compared to similar layered systems reported in the literature, showing that Mn-based LDHs are highly promising candidates for MRI contrast agents due to favourable water/proton exchange environments and pH sensitivity. Moreover, we demonstrated the formation of a Mn-FU complex during the controlled release experiments at pH 6.4, which is critical for the medical applications of the theranostic nanohybrids. This study is important because it contributes to the understanding of transition-metal-based nanomedicines for biomedical applications while highlighting the importance of using suitable physicochemical characterisation of the nano-based formulations.
Lipid-based nanocarriers
Impact of Lipid Composition on Vesicle Protein Adsorption: A BSA Case Study, ACS Omega, 9 (2024) 17903.
Herein, we investigated the interaction between liposomes and proteins by using albumin as a model protein, because it is the most abundant plasma protein that usually adsorbs instantly on the liposomal surface. The liposomes, prepared by the thin film hydration method, from the zwitterionic lipid 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DPPC) in combination with either cholesterol (CHOL) or cationic lipid 1,2-dioleoyl-3-trimethylammoniumpropane (DOTAP). We have been interested in the differential responses of CHOL and DOTAP-modified vesicles upon albumin adsorption, which was systematically investigated through a combined spectroscopic and electrophoretic approach. We demonstrated that variations in lipid composition can significantly affect the extent and nature of protein – vesicle interactions, thereby influencing the biological identity of the nanocarriers once they are introduced into physiological environments. The study is important because it provides key insights into how lipid formulation can be tuned to improve the biological performance of nanocarriers in drug delivery applications.
• Multi-spectroscopic investigation of Maisine-based microemulsions as convenient carriers for co-delivery of anticancer and anti-inflammatory drugs, Sci. Rep., 15 (2025) 5175.
In this work, we developed Maisine CC-based microemulsions (MEs) as versatile carriers for the co-delivery of anticancer (fluorouracil) and anti-inflammatory (ibuprofen) drugs. The preparation of MEs was performed by the water titration method. The drug formulations were based on monodrug (FU and IBU) and bi-drug systems for which different ratios FU and IBU ratios (i.e., 1:1, 1:3, 1:6, wt:wt) were used. MEs, which have a hydrophobic core within the droplet, exhibit a distinct drug distribution compared to liposomal systems. Therefore, we have been interested in observing their capacity as drug carriers as compared to liposomes in terms of compartmentalisation effect on loading capacity and controlled release. Apart from observing a different distribution of drugs into the two compartments of liposomes and ME, co-encapsulation showed a control exerted by a drug on the release of the second one. Also, the study revealed that MEs are better carriers for FU and IBU than liposomes, an important finding for the design of lipid-based carriers with translational potential. This work is important because it highlights the possibility of designing simple yet efficient nanostructured systems capable of delivering combination therapies, which are increasingly relevant in complex diseases, such as cancer.
Concluding remarks
The ESEI-BioMed project has initiated an institutional reorganisation within the IRO, reflected in the establishment of a nanomedicine research laboratory, setting up a dedicated and dynamic team of researchers, thus promoting integration into the ERA. Beyond these structural changes, the project has already generated a scientific outcome in nanomedicine for oncology, covering key areas, such as drug delivery systems, engineered nanomaterials, and diagnostic platforms.
Overall, these achievements show a coherent research strategy that bridges fundamental materials science with translational biomedical applications. Moreover, institutional reform, international collaboration, and scientific productivity have all contributed to placing the NanoTechnology Laboratory and, by extension, IRO, as an emerging contributor to European nanomedicine research. However, efforts beyond the project lifetime are critical for consolidation of this position and further enhancing the long-term scientific and societal impact. In the context of oncology, the ultimate beneficiaries of the nanomedicine research are the patients, for whom more effective and better-tolerated treatments resulting from nanomedicine research will improve their quality of life. At the same time, the impact is broader, extending to the healthcare systems, for which these technologies have the potential to reduce overall treatment-related costs. However, it is important to acknowledge that such nanotechnology-based innovative approaches still have limitations that must be carefully considered and addressed. A balanced perspective, which considers both the opportunities and the challenges, is necessary to ensure credible progress toward viable and effective nanotechnology-based solutions for cancer.
Research in nanoformulations for medical and oncological applications is currently advancing rapidly. Its integration into strategic initiatives, such as ERA-Chair projects, institutional development strategies, and international collaborations, provides a strong foundation for a more precise and personalised approach to medicine, aligned with real societal needs.
The research carried out at the Nanotechnology Laboratory within the TRANSCEND research centre, Regional Institute of Oncology Iasi, and partner academic institutions contributes to international efforts in developing nanotechnology-based cancer therapies, demonstrating that well-supported research ecosystems can generate results with significant scientific and international impact.
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