SulfonylUreas for REpurposed CHEMOtherapy: Development of a lipophilic sulfonylureas formulation for enhanced anticancer therapy and market implementation

Can a Well-Known Diabetes Drug Help Treat Cancer?

Dr. Eng. Mateusz Tomczyk from the Faculty of Chemistry at the Silesian University of Technology, together with his team, is developing a new strategy for utilizing doxorubicin - one of the key cytostatics used in oncology - by combining it with glimepiride, a well-known antidiabetic drug. In the CHEMO-SURE project, glimepiride receives a new application: it is intended to support the anticancer effect of doxorubicin, among other ways, by influencing mechanisms related to multidrug resistance in cancer cells.

Doxorubicin remains clinically relevant in the treatment of selected cancers, including certain regimens for breast cancer, sarcomas, and other conditions treated with anthracyclines. However, its effectiveness can be limited by dose-dependent toxicity and the development of treatment resistance. In their research, the team demonstrated that combining doxorubicin with glimepiride can lead to a synergistic effect - namely, a stronger anticancer activity than would result from the activity of each drug alone. Therefore, the team is working on a liposomal formulation that will enable the simultaneous delivery of both substances, maintain their beneficial ratio, and potentially further enhance the observed therapeutic effect.

The aim of the project is thus not to replace current therapies, but to improve the use of doxorubicin where it still plays an important role - particularly in aggressive, rare, or resistant cancers where toxicity and resistance limit treatment efficacy.

In 2025, the team secured a Spanish patent protecting the application of a combination of selected sulfonylureas and cytostatics in cancer treatment. Following the completion of the PCT phase, the patent entered regional/national phases in the USA and Europe, which strengthens IP protection in key markets and creates a foundation for further commercialization of the technology.

The research conducted by Dr. Mateusz Tomczyk and his team shows that academic science can make a tangible impact on improving patients' quality of life. Their work is an example of how chemical and biological knowledge translates into solutions with significant social and market potential.

"We don't always have to create new drugs from scratch - sometimes it is enough to combine known substances and look at them from a different perspective to discover entirely new potential in them. Often in science, we plan one thing and discover something that leads us in a completely new direction. In our case, that moment was observing that combining known drugs could significantly enhance the anticancer effect. It was a fortunate discovery that could truly help patients," says Dr. Mateusz Tomczyk.

The scientist is a participant in the first edition of PRIME - a science commercialization support program implemented by the Foundation for Polish Science using funds from the European Funds for a Modern Economy (FENG) program. As part of the PRIME project, Dr. Eng. Mateusz Tomczyk and his team - Dr. Eng. Małgorzata Czaja (Technology Transfer Leader) and Prof. Horacio Pérez-Sánchez (Business Leader) - will develop competencies in the implementation and commercialization of their research.

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PRIME is the only "tailor-made" acceleration program for the transfer of knowledge and technology for scientists and their research organizations in Poland, offering support for an individual commercialization path for innovative products. The program provides the opportunity to both develop competencies (e.g., training) and acquire practical skills (e.g., talks with potential recipients). For the authors of the best ideas, individualized support is provided to implement the chosen commercialization path. The PRIME project is financed by the European Funds for a Modern Economy (#FENG) program. The project is implemented by the Foundation for Polish Science (#FNP).