Spain: Innovative services for precision oncology

Every patient’s experience with cancer is unique. Now, thanks to Pangaea Oncology, a Spanish medical services company specialising in precision oncology, treatments can be too. Using molecular diagnostics, Pangaea Oncology identifies the most appropriate drugs and clinical trials for cancer patients, aiming to improve survival rates, treatment responses and quality of life.

Pangaea Oncology set out to enhance its molecular diagnostic tools in a first Eureka project, DeltaMET, with Dutch organisations thromboDX and Radboud University Medical Centre. The consortium successfully developed a new comprehensive diagnostic platform that uses a multiplexing hybridation panel based in ribonucleic acid (RNA) to analyse fusion and splicing variants in multiple genes. It can detect alterations in 30 genes found in solid tumours that respond to target therapies. With this information, healthcare professionals can offer personalised patient care.

Eureka, and European Union innovation funding support in general, has been critical for the success of our business and the value contribution to our patients. These instruments, along with regular equity capital markets, are fundamental financial tools.

Javier Rodríguez Rivela – Chief Executive Officer at Pangaea Oncology

In parallel, the consortium conducted research using real patient samples, establishing strong links between Pangaea Oncology and the pharmaceutical industry. This collaboration has supported the design of clinical trials on novel therapeutic strategies.

The DeltaMET project came at a pivotal moment in the evolution of precision oncology; research was shifting from analysing single genes to multiple gene alterations simultaneously. Thanks to the project’s outcome and an accreditation awarded to Pangaea Oncology for its ability to detect multiple gene alterations, the company has maintained its position at the forefront of oncology diagnostics and research.

In a second Eureka project, PreBioM, Pangaea Oncology partnered with Oncolines and the Netherlands Translational Research Center in the Netherlands, and Pelago Bioscience in Sweden, to expand its portfolio of characterised primary patient cultures. With this advancement, pharmaceutical companies can test the sensitivity of cancer patients to new drugs before they reach clinical trials.

Through Eureka, Pangaea Oncology received funding from Spanish innovation agency, the Spanish Centre for Technological Development and Innovation (CDTI), to achieve key technological and regulatory milestones. Throughout, the Spanish company has embraced a spirit of openness in cross-border cooperation, fostering knowledge exchange and technology transfer and accelerating the development of advanced diagnostic and therapeutic solutions. Pangaea Oncology expanded its network of academic and industrial partners, enabling participation in projects that would not have been possible at a national level alone. These collaborations have led to new contracts, including with leading pharmaceutical companies.

With Eureka’s support, Pangaea Oncology has strengthened its competitiveness, securing a stronger position in the rapidly evolving oncology landscape. The company has completed over 200 contracts in the preclinical field, and in 2024, reported a 90% revenue increase amounting to 14 million euro. The project partners have also generated joint publications in international conferences and journals, increasing visibility.

Already, Pangaea Oncology’s services are making a positive impact on cancer patients. Mercedes Sora Ortega, a stage four lung cancer patient explains, “the molecular analysis of the tumour and the cell culture were very important for the progression of my disease. Thanks to this, I have been able to receive targeted and individualised treatment. I am very grateful to have had this opportunity.” Pangaea Oncology’s precision oncology has the potential to be both lifesaving and life changing.