Adelaide-based biotech company Ferronova is developing cutting-edge technology that is improving the surgical detection of cancer and transforming care for early stage cancer patients.

Established in 2016 and spun out of the University of South Australia (UniSA) and Victoria University of New Zealand, Ferronova is working with researchers from UniSA’s Future Industries Institute, the University of Sydney, and the University of New South Wales to further develop the technology.

The cancer tracer uses advanced magnetic nanoparticles that enable surgeons to accurately detect and treat the early spread of complex cancers, focused on head and neck, colorectal and gastric cancer, but potentially applicable to all solid tumours.

The technology is providing a break-through for the healthcare industry improving on current technology, which is often unable to detect the spread of cancers and can lead to poor outcomes including undertreatment and morbidity.

Ferronova has received State Government funding under the South Australian Venture Capital Fund and the South Australian Early Commercialisation Fund to drive product development, future investment and growth to address limitations of existing technologies. It performed first-in-human clinical trials and established manufacturing of its tracer nanoparticles in Adelaide.