The EMERGE project, developed at INMA (CSIC–University of Zaragoza), uses plant‑derived extracellular vesicles and magnetic nanoparticles to design more selective and biocompatible therapies against tumours. This research has been led for the past year by Marisa Conte (CSIC), who obtained a Marie Curie fellowship to carry it out
Zaragoza, 16 June 2026. Can nanoparticles obtained from plants join forces with magnetic ones to develop new cancer therapies? This is the question addressed by the European project EMERGE (Engineered plant‑derived extracellular vesicles tagged with magnetic nanoparticles as novel antitumoural agents), a pioneering investigation aimed at designing new nanomedicine strategies for cancer treatment. The work is being conducted at the Institute of Nanoscience and Materials of Aragón (INMA), a joint institute of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and the University of Zaragoza.
The principal investigator is Marisa Conte (CSIC), who has been leading this line of research for a year thanks to a prestigious Marie Skłodowska‑Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship. The grant, awarded under the European Union’s Horizon Europe 2024 call, officially began on 1 July 2025 and will run for two years.
The distinctive value of EMERGE lies in its exploration of new therapeutic tools based on the combination of plant‑derived extracellular vesicles and magnetic nanoparticles. Extracellular vesicles are natural nanoparticles used by cells as ‘messengers’ to communicate with one another. In recent years, they have attracted great interest due to their potential as safe and efficient vehicles for delivering therapeutic agents.
Marisa Conte’s research focuses on harnessing the natural properties of these vesicles and combining them with magnetic nanoparticles to develop more selective and biocompatible systems capable of acting against tumour cells. One of the main advantages of this approach is the possibility of using magnetic hyperthermia, a technique that employs external magnetic fields to generate localised heat and destroy cancer cells in a controlled manner, minimising damage to healthy tissues.
Three‑dimensional tumour models
EMERGE also incorporates a strong collaborative dimension. During a six‑month stay at the Santobono‑Pausilipon Hospital in Naples (Italy), the researcher will work with three‑dimensional tumour models obtained directly from oncology patients. These models make it possible to reproduce the complexity of human tumours more realistically and facilitate the evaluation of new therapeutic strategies under conditions closer to clinical practice.
The use of these advanced models will allow the team to analyse the effectiveness of the nanocomplexes developed in EMERGE and to study tumour responses to the proposed treatments, helping accelerate the transfer of knowledge from the laboratory to future biomedical applications.
Working with patient‑derived organoids (miniature reproductions of the tumour from which they originate) represents a new frontier in the development of personalised therapies. As each organoid is obtained from the tumour of a specific patient, it can reproduce many of that tumour’s biological and molecular characteristics, which may differ significantly from those of other patients. This enables more precise and tailored evaluation of therapeutic strategies for each individual case.
With this project, INMA strengthens its position in the field of nanomedicine and advanced biomedical research, while consolidating its capacity to attract international talent and competitive European funding aimed at addressing some of the major health challenges facing our society.
Severo Ochoa Centre of Excellence
The Aragon Nanoscience and Materials Institute (INMA) is the first in our Autonomous Community to obtain the Severo Ochoa excellence accreditation, awarded by the Spanish State Research Agency. This recognition entails funding of 4.5 million euros and five predoctoral contracts for the 2024–2028 period. These are in addition to the ten contracts granted in the previous call, when INMA narrowly missed achieving the accreditation.
INMA is a joint institute created three years ago through the merger of two CSIC and University of Zaragoza research centres, precisely with the aim of aspiring to this excellence distinction. With around 300 members, it currently manages more than 40 European projects and produces an annual average of 300 publications and 7 million euros in competitive public funding. It also collaborates with industry, securing around one million euros per year through contracts and royalties.
17-06-2026
