The MSCA-PF EMERGE project starts at INMA to advance cancer treatment with plant-derived extracellular vesicles
On July 1, 2025, the EMERGE project – Engineered plant-derived extracellular vesicles tagged with magnetic nanoparticles as novel antitumoral agents – officially began at INMA.
The launch also marks the arrival of a new MSCA fellow to INMA, Dr. Marisa Conte, who will continue her research and foster her career in the field of plant EVs, their potential application in nanomedicine and plant biotechnology under the supervision of Dr. María Moros, Principal Investigator of EMERGE.
EMERGE, which main objective is to improve treatment outcomes for cancer patients, explores an innovative therapeutic strategy through:
- Production of plant-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) using plant cell cultures as efficient and scalable biofactories, offering a sustainable, safe, and cost-effective alternative to mammalian-derived EVs, with strong potential for therapeutic applications.
- Development of an immunocapturing system using magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs), which enables
- Selective purification of exosomes through antibody-based capture
- Enhanced anticancer efficacy through magnetic hyperthermia.
- Selective purification of the vesicles.
- Therapeutic cargo optimization and testing, by:
- Loading hybrid vesicles (MNP@eEVs) with anticancer agents.
- Assessing efficacy in 2D cancer cell cultures and patient-derived 3D tumour organoids, paving the way for personalized medicine.
With EMERGE, INMA (Aragon Nanoscience and Materials Institute, CSIC-UNIZAR joint institution) strengthens its commitment to frontier research in nanomedicine and advanced cancer therapies. The project not only deepens collaboration with prestigious European initiatives such as Horizon Europe and the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) but also fosters interdisciplinary research, bringing together biotechnologists, physicists, oncologists, and nanomaterials experts to develop safer, more effective, and personalized therapeutic solutions.
EMERGE is funded with a European Union contribution of €209,914.56€ under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) of the Horizon Europe (2021-2027) programme with Grant Agreement number 101210929 and will run until June 30, 2027.
06-10-2025
