The vandetanib-eluting bead was developed in collaboration with Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois (CHUV), Lausanne, Switzerland and Dr. Alban Denys, professor at the department of medical radiology at CHUV. Vandetanib-eluting beads use BTG's recently developed radiopaque bead platform.[iii] Beads that can be visualised with CT or fluoroscopic imaging offer the advantage of providing visible confirmation of bead location during and after the embolisation procedure, enabling real-time adjustments to optimise patient treatment[iv].

Melanie Lee, Chief Scientific Officer at BTG said: "As leaders in Interventional Oncology, we are continuing to pursue better solutions for patients through innovation. Our suite of products are used to treat different stage cancers and they are delivered into the cancer tumour in a very targeted way, an approach called loco-regional therapy. This programme is at a very early stage of research, but testing vandetanib-eluting beads in man is an exciting milestone. Bringing to market the first embolic beads visible under X-ray imaging has enabled increased control and precision during treatment, and adding a targeted anti-cancer agent we may be able to offer a new option for hard to treat cancers in the liver."


The VEROnA study is sponsored by BTG and supported by the Cancer Research UK Experimental Cancer Medicines Centre and the UCL Cancer Institute and the National Institute for Health Research University College London Hospitals Biomedical Research Centre. Patients with primary liver cancer or mCRC who meet the eligibility criteria will be offered participation in the clinical trial at University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and the Royal Free Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. Patients suitable for the VEROnA study are those scheduled to have their liver tumours removed surgically. By studying the resected tissue in great detail, and comparing it to the scans performed before the operation, researchers will be able to assess exactly where the vandetanib-eluting beads have been deposited in and around the tumours, and how much drug has been delivered to the target. In this way, the VEROnA "window of opportunity" clinical trial will assess the safety and tolerability of the new treatment and the potential it offers for treating liver cancer.

About Liver Cancer:

Primary liver cancer occurs when liver cells become abnormal and grow uncontrollably, forming a tumour. The most common form of primary liver cancer is called hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Liver cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in the world[v], and one of the most challenging to treat. Each year, more than 700,000 patients worldwide are diagnosed with liver cancer.[vi] Long-term infection with the hepatitis B or hepatitis C virus, which are more prevalent in Asian countries, are a common cause of cirrhosis and liver cancer. In developed countries, increasing prevalence of obesity in the general population and alcoholic liver disease account for the rising incidence of HCC.

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