The Lehendakari is committed to strengthening a health industry with a capacity for production and innovation

Iñigo Urkullu visited the biopharmaceutical company Oncomatryx, a developer of personalised treatments to attack invasive tumours

Osakidetza, through Onkologikoa, will take part in a clinical trial on metastatic cancer proposed by Oncomatryx

The Lehendakari Iñigo Urkullu, accompanied by the Regional Minister for Economic Development, Sustainability and the Environment, Arantxa Tapia, and the Regional Minister for Health, Gotzone Sagardui, this morning visited the biopharmaceutical company Oncomatryx, a developer of personalised treatments to attack invasive tumours and known for its early detection tests.

In his speech, the Lehendakari stressed the importance of intensifying both scientific research and investment in research and development, in this case, in the priority area of health. Health is one of the pillars of the RIS 3 Euskadi Smart Specialisation Strategy. “Our aim is to strengthen a health industry with production and innovation capacity. We aspire to be a benchmark country in this sector”, he pointed out.

PUBLIC-PRIVATE COLLABORATION

The Basque Government has been collaborating with Oncomatryx since 2012, a collaboration that has been substantiated every year through public R&D, investment and entrepreneurship programmes. “This means, among other things, that Oncomatryx has made a structural and long-term commitment to investment in research and development. We are going to continue in this line of support and collaboration”, said the Lehendakari.

This decade-long history of collaboration has also led to the Government’s participation in the capital of Oncomatryx through Venture Capital. In this respect, Iñigo Urkullu stressed that the public-private relationship is optimal in this case, “at present, we form part of its capital and we have a representative on the Board of Directors”, he added.

“This collaboration has begun to bear fruit”, he stressed.

CLINICAL TRIALS

Last spring, Oncomatryx obtained a licence for a proprietary cancer drug to be considered in a pre-clinical phase from an international company in China. The American Drug Agency and the Spanish Medicines Agency have authorised the clinical trials proposed by Oncomatryx. It has obtained approval for these clinical trials on cancer with metastasis and will test its anti-cancer antibody in eight hospitals in Spain and the United States.

The Lehendakari stressed that Osakidetza, through Onkologikoa, will take part in this clinical trial, the first in Europe to use an antibody that attacks the cells surrounding the tumour. According to Urkullu, Osakidetza professionals working in the field of oncology are already working together to identify patients from all over the Basque Country who meet the requirements to take part in these clinical trials, which will last for two years.

ONCOMATRYX

Oncomatryx is a biotechnology company that develops personalised treatments to attack invasive tumours. The company is known for its tests for the early detection of invasive tumours, such as pancreatic and breast cancer. Developed in collaboration with several hospitals, they distinguish them from localised tumours, helping in the most appropriate treatment for each patient. Oncomatryx bases its medical research on the area of peritumoral stroma, which has been linked to the lack of effectiveness of anti-tumour treatments.