IKBFU Scientists’ Startup on Treating Endometriosis with Nanoparticles Enters the SechenovTech Accelerator

Startup founded by a postgraduate student and research engineer from the SEC “Smart Materials and Biomedical Applications” at the IKBFU has been selected among the top 20 projects of the SechenovTech accelerator. The three-month biomedical technology program helps young scientists in the medical field acquire the knowledge and tools needed to bring their projects to market.

Within the accelerator, the IKBFU researcher is developing a project focused on creating a technological platform based on nanoparticles for the local, minimally invasive destruction of endometriosis lesions. (the scientific supervisor of the project is Ekaterina Levada, Senior Research Fellow at the Laboratory of Biomedical Applications). Endometriosis is a very common chronic disease affecting approximately 15 percent of women of reproductive age. It causes severe chronic pain, infertility, and progresses continuously without treatment. Standard approaches—surgical removal of lesions and hormone therapy—are either invasive or associated with systemic side effects.

The REC “Smart Materials and Biomedical Applications” team has proposed a more effective and less traumatic therapy. The technology involves targeted delivery and accumulation of nanoparticles in endometriotic lesions, followed by heating using magnetic exposure or infrared laser irradiation. The resulting high temperature leads to the destruction of endometriotic cells.

According to Elena Vinogradova, participation in the SechenovTech accelerator will enable the team to bring the development closer to clinical implementation.

Within the accelerator, the project is continuously refined in collaboration with practicing experts, including clinicians and medtech entrepreneurs. Constant feedback helps “polish” the project and make it more realistic. A clear vision is formed of how the technology will work in a clinical setting, where it fits into the patient care pathway, what its revenue model and economics will be, and what aspects are of interest to investors, clinics, and grant foundations. The training is intensive: participants learn to assess markets, design business models, and develop step-by-step plans with timelines and required investments. It also becomes clearer who makes decisions and at what level, which authorities are responsible for specific processes, and what timelines and costs should be expected for medical device registration and clinical trials, among many other aspects,

the postgraduate student notes.

As noted by Elena Kabakova, Deputy Director of the IKBFU Startup Studio, the development is in demand within the medical community and has significant market potential both in Russia and internationally.

The potential size of the Russian market is estimated at 6,774,023 units of products consumed by women with endometriosis. Each year, around 170,000 new patients in Russia may require treatment,
said Elena Kabakova.

Reaching the final stage of the SechenovTech accelerator provides the opportunity to present the project to experts in medical technologies and investors, as well as to participate for one year in pilot and post-accelerator activities organized by the Center for Industrial Technologies and Entrepreneurship of Sechenov University and the program’s partners.

The project aimed at creating a system for the treatment of endometriosis is being implemented by the team of the SEC “Smart Materials and Biomedical Applications” with advisory support from the IKBFU Startup Studio.

*The SechenovTech accelerator is a three-month educational program of Sechenov University designed to support project teams and student initiatives in creating innovative biomedical technology products. The accelerator is conducted as part of the federal project “University Technological Entrepreneurship Platform.”.