Too many patients still die from cancer. Epithelial cancers and their precancerous stages - such as those affecting the skin, vulva, anus and oral cavity - are growing in incidence and pose particular therapeutic challenges. These lesions are difficult to treat systemically and often don’t respond well to topical therapies. Our initial targets are vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia (VIN), which continues to affect younger females and still requires invasive interventions. Untreated, it can progress to invasive vulvar carcinoma, a disease with poor prognosis; head & neck cancers and non-melanoma skin cancers, where a significant patient pool is poorly served by current therapies.

Wound infections are responsible for an estimated 37,000 deaths p.a. within the EU, costing €7 billion p.a. Infections can lead to permanent disability and decreased quality of life. The emergence of new bacterial strains resistant to all current antibiotics is a potential time-bomb. In response, the WHO have called for an urgent reduction in antibiotic use and innovation to improve infection control and combat antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The ability of bacteria to form biofilms which are dense, multilayers of cells protected by an extracellular polymeric substance, is fundamental to their success in infecting wounds and resisting disinfection.

Onychomycosis is a fungal infection caused by dermatophyte fungi deeply seated in the nail plate. It accounts for one-third of all fungal infections in the world and affects 10% of the world’s population, exacerbated by poor lifestyle, diabetes and obesity. Despite the prevalence of the disease, successful treatment options remain a challenge due to poor penetration of topical drugs into the nail bed, which often take months and years to work, and liver-damage associated with oral antifungal drugs. Gold-standard treatments demonstrate low success rates, increased antifungal resistance, prolonged treatments and frequent recurrences.