oncothai

What oncothai does

OncoThAI is an academic research unit (INSERM U1189, renamed U1366 as of 2024) based at Bâtiment OncoLille in Lille, France, founded in 2013 and directed by Pr. Nadira Delhem. It specializes in photodynamic therapy (PDT) and its combinations with immunotherapy for the treatment of cancers in therapeutic impasse — including high-grade glioma (glioblastoma), malignant pleural mesothelioma, actinic keratosis, Paget's disease, peritoneal carcinomatosis from ovarian cancer, melanoma, and pancreatic adenocarcinoma. The unit is organized into two complementary teams: ImmunoPDT (immunology and immunotherapy of PDT, led by Pr. Delhem) and PhysicoPDT (laser physics, light dosimetry, and medical device design, led by Dr. Anne-Sophie Dewalle), with deep clinical integration across neurosurgery, dermatology, pneumology, gynecology, radiology, and nuclear medicine at CHU Lille and partner hospitals.

The unit has built a portfolio of proprietary technologies including flexible light-emitting fabrics (LEF/Textiles Lumineux) manufactured with TEXINOV via a patented process, the ArtiMED medical imaging collaborative platform (DICOM 3.0/RT compatible), preclinical in vitro and in vivo illumination devices, 3D-printed prototyping capabilities, a Light Efficiency Calculator software tool, and treatment planning software integrated into Intrasense's Myrian platform. Clinical assets include completed or ongoing trials such as INDYGO (intraoperative PDT for glioblastoma, 10 patients enrolled), PHOS-ISTOS Phase II (actinic keratosis, 40+ patients across CHU Lille and Klinikum Vest, Germany), PAGETEX (Paget's disease, up to 24 patients planned), MesoPDT, and PRODYNOV. One patent has been filed on the PS-FOL folic-acid-targeted photosensitizer for peritoneal ovarian carcinosis.

OncoThAI does not commercialize products or services. Its funding derives entirely from public and institutional research sources — INSERM, University of Lille, CHU Lille, French National Cancer Institute (INCa), Hauts-de-France Regional Council, SATT Nord, SATT Grand-Est, the European Commission (FEDER-FSE and PHOS-ISTOS), ANRT (CIFRE fellowships), and Cancéropole Nord-Ouest — supplemented by industrial co-funding from Novartis, BMS, MSD, TEXINOV, Intrasense, TORSKAL, and CEA-LETI. Distribution of any developed devices or software occurs through clinical trial enrollment at partner hospitals, technology transfer via SATT and FEDER programs, and industrial licensing partnerships; a startup called Immune Insight has been created by Pr. Delhem for technology-transfer purposes.

Name

oncothai

Legal name

INSERM 1189 Onco Thai

Website

https://oncothai.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

OncoThAI (INSERM U1189) is a French academic research unit developing photodynamic therapy and immunotherapy combinations for cancers in therapeutic impasse. It runs clinical trials at CHU Lille and partners with European hospitals and industrial firms on devices.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Oncology Research and Photodynamic Therapy

NAICS

Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Medicinal Chemicals & Botanical Products (2833)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYHLAIACAA

Oncology Specialty Pharmaceuticals

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Pharmaceuticals/Specialty Pharmaceuticals

Keywords

• Photodynamic therapy research
• Oncology clinical trials
• Light emitting fabrics
• Medical imaging software
• Cancer immunotherapy combinations

Headquarters

HQ city

Lille

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Public/Institutional Research Funding: OncoThAI is a non-commercial academic research unit (INSERM U1189) funded by public institutional sources including INSERM, University of Lille, CHU Lille, French National Cancer Institute (INCa), Regional Council Hauts de France, SATT Nord, SATT Grand-Est, European funding (FEDER-FSE, European Commission PHOS-ISTOS), ANRT (CIFRE fellowships), and Cancéropole Nord-Ouest. No commercial product revenue.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

OncoThAI is a public academic research unit (INSERM U1189) that conducts fundamental and translational research in photodynamic therapy (PDT) and immunotherapy for oncology. It develops and clinically validates PDT medical devices (light-emitting fabrics, PHOS-ISTOS®, Flexitheralight), treatment planning software (ArtiMED, Light Efficiency Calculator), and runs clinical trials for glioblastoma, mesothelioma, actinic keratosis, Paget's disease, peritoneal carcinomatosis, and melanoma.

Product overview

OncoThAI is a research unit (INSERM U1189) developing minimally invasive laser-based therapies and immunotherapies for oncology, centered on Photodynamic Therapy (PDT). The product portfolio includes medical devices (PHOS-ISTOS®, Flexitheralight, preclinical illumination devices) for PDT delivery, light emitting fabric technologies, software platforms for treatment planning and medical imaging (ArtiMED, Light Efficiency Calculator), and utilizes third-party platforms like Myrian® for imaging. Research programs focus on glioblastoma (NeuroPDT), malignant pleural mesothelioma (MesoPDT), actinic keratosis/Paget disease (DermatoPDT), peritoneal carcinomatosis (PRODYNOV), and cancer immunotherapy (ImmunoPDT).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ImmunoPDT: Research team focused on the role of immunology in photodynamic therapy and immunotherapy combinations
• PhysicoPDT
• NeuroPDT
• MesoPDT
• DermatoPDT
• PRODYNOV
• ArtiMED
• Light Emitting Fabrics (LEF)
• PHOS-ISTOS
• SYNAPS
• INDYGO

Products and services

• Light Efficiency Calculator for PpIX PDT Software calculator that automatically displays luminous flux, irradiance, and effective irradiance from any spectral irradiance input, used for comparing light sources in photodynamic therapy of actinic keratosis.
• ArtiMED Medical Imaging Platform Medical imaging collaborative platform providing DICOM 3.0 and DICOM RT compatibility, patient database management, image processing library (filtering, segmentation, rigid-elastic transformation), MPR, MIP, 3D reconstruction, and image registration designed for PDT research and clinical use.
• Myrian® PDT Treatment Planning Module (Intrasense integration) OncoThAI-developed module integrated into Intrasense's Myrian® platform that models optical fibers on medical images and calculates light dose per fiber to optimize PDT treatment delivery (fiber types, laser power, illumination time).
• Light Emitting Fabrics (LEF) / Textiles Lumineux Flexible, conformable illumination devices emitting throughout the visible and near-infrared spectrum with irradiances up to 25 mW/cm² without heating, manufactured by TEXINOV under partnership with OncoThAI for clinical and experimental PDT applications.
• PHOS-ISTOS® Flexible Illumination Device Flexible illumination device based on light emitting fabric technology for photodynamic therapy treatment of actinic keratoses, developed as part of European Project CIP 621103 and evaluated favorably by the European Commission.
• Flexitheralight Device Flexible conformable illumination device using light emitting fabric technology, specifically designed for treatment of actinic keratoses on complex anatomical areas such as the scalp, emitting red light at 635 nm with low dose rate of 12 mW/cm².

Quantifiable outcome

• Glioblastoma patients treated with intraoperative PDT showed median survival improvements in clinical trials (INDYGO study)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• CEA-LETI-L2CBcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 May 2014Collaboration under CEA-INSERM agreement of May 7, 2014 (réf. CEA F19490/réf INSERM C3376) for development of dissolving microneedles containing 5-aminolevulinic acid for enhanced PDT drug delivery. Supported by Operational Programme FEDER-FSE Nord-Pas de Calais 2014-2020.
• Laboratoire de Réactions et Génie des Procédés (LRGP, UMR 7274 CNRS, Université de Lorraine)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch collaboration for synthesis of new photosensitizers (PS-FOL) targeting peritoneal ovarian carcinosis. LRGP's chemistry expertise combined with OncoThAI's PDT and biological evaluation capabilities.
• TORSKALcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with TORSKAL (La Réunion) on plasmonic photothermal therapy (PPTT) using TSK-001 gold nanoparticles for advanced melanoma treatment. Elyas Al Yasini is a CIFRE PhD student jointly supervised under this partnership. Research aims to combine PPTT with anti-PD1 immunotherapy.
• TEXINOV (MDB TEXINOV)coreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerPartnership with TEXINOV for manufacturing light-emitting fabrics (LEF) using a patented process. OncoThAI developed various flexible and conformable illumination devices for clinical and experimental PDT applications. TEXINOV is the industrial partner for CIFRE PhD theses and manufacturer of Phosistos and Flexitheralight devices.
• IntrasensemajorTechnology or IntegrationOncoThAI's PDT treatment planning software integrated into Intrasense's Myrian® medical imaging platform. Optical fibers modeled on medical images with associated light dose calculations for treatment optimization. OncoThAI ranked third in Myrian® Studio Challenge 2018.
• Institut de Biologie de Lille (IBL, UMR 8161 CNRS)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on immune response specificity in anticancer PDT research. Joint work on tumor organoids for ovarian cancer and fundamental immunology studies.
• Inserm U1086 Anticipe (Centre François Baclesse, Caen)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on photodynamic immunotherapy on tumor organoids for ovarian epithelial cancers, supported by Cancéropole Nord-Ouest mobility grant (Martha Baydoun, post-doctorate).
• SYNAPS European NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOncoThAI coordinates SYNAPS (Synergizing Photodynamic Therapies for Neurosurgery), a European network partnering neurosurgery departments, research teams, and health technology companies to achieve a multicenter randomized clinical trial across Europe for glioblastoma PDT.
• Klinikum Vest (Germany)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerClinical partner in the Phosistos Phase II trial for actinic keratoses, alongside CHU Lille under Pr. Szeimies (Germany) and Pr. Mortier (France).

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Galderma: Global dermatology leader with prior PDT assets (Metvix®/Metvixia®) and active presence in actinic keratosis — directly relevant to OncoThAI's DermatoPDT program as a broader dermatology incumbent with PDT expertise.
• biolitec: One of the largest independent PDT medical-device companies worldwide, supplying lasers, fibers, and photosensitizers across oncology and other indications — a broader incumbent operating across OncoThAI's territory with an established commercial footprint.

Direct peers

• Theralase Technologies: Canadian developer of TLD-1433, a ruthenium-based photosensitizer for non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer PDT — a direct oncology-PDT peer with a similar model of pairing novel photosensitizers with device-delivered light activation.
• Steba Biotech: Developer of Tookad® (padeliporfin) vascular-targeted PDT, including the pivotal Phase 3 in low-risk prostate cancer — closely comparable as a clinical-stage PDT company advancing a photosensitizer-device combination into registrational trials.
• Biofrontera: German specialty pharma company commercializing Ameluz® (aminolevulinic acid) for PDT of actinic keratosis — directly comparable indication to OncoThAI's DermatoPDT/Phosistos program, and the closest commercial-stage counterpart in dermatological PDT.
• Photocure: Norwegian specialty pharma commercializing Hexvix® (hexaminolevulinate) for photodynamic diagnosis and treatment of bladder cancer — a relevant peer given OncoThAI's work combining imaging, photosensitizers, and light-based intervention in oncology.
• Rakuten Medical: Developer of the Illuminox® platform (cetuximab-IR700 antibody-targeted PDT) for multiple solid tumors — directly comparable to OncoThAI's receptor-targeted approach (PS-FOL for folate receptor) and its multi-indication combination-immunotherapy thesis.

Others

• Modulight: Finnish medical laser company supplying PDT illumination systems used in clinical PDT applications — comparable as an upstream supplier of light-delivery hardware that OncoThAI's PhysicoPDT team also designs and integrates.
• TEXINOV (MDB Texinov): French technical textile manufacturer industrializing OncoThAI's Light Emitting Fabrics (LEF) used in Phosistos and Flexitheralight — an ecosystem participant whose roadmap directly shapes OncoThAI's clinical device pipeline.

Emerging players

• Institut Gustave Roussy: Leading European cancer center conducting PDT clinical and translational research across multiple tumor types — a French peer institution with overlapping oncology-PDT programs and academic-clinical integration similar to OncoThAI.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/oncothai
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCoTs5sXTG3zPiLpa5oJC7gA
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/oncothai

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about oncothai