Vector Bioscience awarded €2.5 million to advance MOF-based siRNA delivery in oncology

Vector Bioscience’s €2.5 million GENERA project was awarded through the EIC Transition Challenge call for novel RNA delivery methods and therapies. Running from August 2023 to August 2026, the project is advancing a new drug delivery approach for short interfering RNA (siRNA) in hard-to-treat cancers, starting with pancreatic cancer. We spoke with Lluna Gallego, CEO and Co-Founder, about Vector’s mission, the significance of the EIC Transition award, and their collaboration with Catalyze.

Pictured: Lluna Gallego, CEO and Co-Founder of Vector Bioscience

Vector Bioscience: enabling advanced drug delivery for next-generation therapeutics

Nanoparticle drug delivery systems can fundamentally improve the performance of new therapeutics by protecting sensitive cargos, improving pharmacokinetics, and reducing off-target exposure. However, today’s delivery landscape remains highly application-specific, requiring extensive re-optimisation for each new payload and indication.

Vector Bioscience Cambridge, founded in 2021 on more than 15 years of research at the University of Cambridge, is addressing this challenge with a delivery platform based on metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). MOFs are porous, modular hybrid materials with exceptionally high surface areas and tunable structures. For drug delivery, this enables a compelling combination: broad encapsulation potential (including large macromolecules) and the ability to systematically tune carrier behaviour through surface functionalisation.

Lluna Gallego explains Vector’s ambition:

“At Vector Bioscience, we aim to redefine how therapeutics reach and act within diseased tissue. We are developing first-in-class porous NanoShuttles that function as both precision medicine and delivery platforms, enabling targeted, controlled release while materially reducing systemic toxicity.”

She adds that Vector’s platform development is supported by a design approach that strengthens predictability and translation:

“Our platform combines advanced materials engineering with ML-driven design to predict performance and biocompatibility before entering the laboratory. We have demonstrated that this approach delivers exceptional loading capacity, stability, and in vivo efficacy, with validation in hard-to-treat cancers such as triple-negative breast cancer and pancreatic cancer. While oncology is our initial focus, the platform is cargo- and indication-agnostic, compatible with small molecules, biologics, and RNA.”

Vector’s strategy is progressing along three complementary development paths: slow-release NanoDepots to improve exposure and reduce toxicity, antibody-guided NanoShuttles for highly precise targeted delivery, and radio-enhanced NanoShuttles that amplify the impact of radiotherapy.

EIC Transition project: GENERA advances siRNA delivery for hard-to-treat cancers

Through the EIC Transition programme, GENERA is advancing Vector’s MOF-based delivery system toward application-relevant validation in oncology. The project focuses on a critical bottleneck in RNA therapeutics: enabling delivery that is robust enough to support clinical translation and meaningful anti-tumour effect in vivo, starting with pancreatic cancer.

Lluna explains what the EIC support makes possible at this stage of development:

“The EIC funding enables us to accelerate the transition from academic proof-of-concept to an industry-ready platform. Through the GENERA project, we are generating in vivo data that demonstrate effective and targeted delivery, with improved stability, biodistribution, and tumour exposure, while also supporting manufacturing scale-up and the development of robust preclinical data aligned with regulatory and CMC expectations.”

Beyond the scientific and technical objectives, the EIC Transition award strengthens Vector’s credibility and partnership readiness:

“This increased technology maturity directly facilitates engagement with commercial partners. At this critical stage, the EIC support de-risks the technology, strengthens our credibility with pharmaceutical partners and investors, and positions Vector to enter strategic development partnerships.”

Collaboration with Catalyze

Catalyze supported Vector throughout the EIC Transition application process, helping translate a strong scientific foundation into a structured and competitive proposal aligned with EIC expectations.

Lluna highlights the value of Catalyze’s contribution across planning, positioning, and interview preparation:

“Catalyze provided structured project management throughout the application process, which helped keep the effort focused, timely, and aligned with EIC requirements. They brought insight on scope definition, ensuring the proposal remained ambitious and credible. Their input on the business plan helped sharpen the commercialisation strategy and articulate a clear path to impact.”

“In addition, their interview preparation was highly effective, combining practical guidance with insight into the call’s typical expectations, success factors, and evaluation dynamics.”

Learn more about Vector Bioscience