The MEDiCS project has secured €2.5 million in funding from the 2025 EIC Transition program, a call that received 400 proposals from 39 countries, of which only 40 were selected. Coordinated by the University of Santiago de Compostela (USC), the multidisciplinary consortium includes expertise in synthetic chemistry and chemical biology (USC), nanomedicine (i3S), cancer biology (UAM), pharmaceutical technologies (MyBiotech), and regulatory affairs (Asphalion).

MEDiCS - Anticancer approach based on the Metabolic Disruption of Cancer Stem Cells with high effectivity across a wide range of solid tumours - focuses on a pioneering anticancer strategy based on disrupting the metabolism of cancer stem cells using ruthenium-based metallic complexes. This therapy has demonstrated strong preclinical potential across various solid tumors and will now advance toward completing the preclinical phase — a crucial milestone before human clinical trials.

The project targets pancreatic and colorectal cancers, two of the most aggressive and hard-to-treat cancers. By 2040, the therapy has the potential to benefit over 43,800 patients across Europe annually.