Hemerion’s participation in the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) Annual Meeting from May 1 to 4, 2026, allowed our team to strengthen ties with international clinicians and showcase its Pentalafen® / Heliance® combination therapy to major industry players in the neurosurgery sector.
The AANS conference is one of the highlights of the neurosurgery calendar in the United States, attracting over 5,000 attendees, including a significant number of international key opinion leaders in the field.
Hemerion’s participation was an opportunity to showcase the Pentalafen® / Heliance® combination therapy across the Atlantic. This therapeutic solution has recently been granted Fast Track status by the FDA in the U.S., positioning it to potentially change the standard of care for glioblastoma in the near term, with the prospect of a U.S. market launch as early as 2030.
Drawing High Levels of Clinical Interest
Supported by a live presentation by Prof. Costas Hadjipanyis, Executive Vice Chair of UPMC, the Pentalafen® / Heliance® therapy continues to garner significant interest among clinicians.
More than 50 neurosurgical centers have already expressed interest in participating in the pivotal clinical trial for this therapy, which is scheduled to launch in 2027.
Most of our discussions with neurosurgeons confirm the need for new therapeutic solutions in the treatment of glioblastoma and the importance of targeting residual tumor cells after resection, which represent the major challenge in glioblastoma and the key to improving patient survival and quality of life.
The clinical results obtained also continue to astonish specialists: few innovations in the treatment of glioblastoma can rival the preliminary results obtained, with a 5-year survival rate (40%) six times higher than the standard of care (6%).
Feedback from practitioners during live demonstrations also confirms how quickly the mechanism of action is understood and how easy the equipment is to use, which also points to rapid and likely widespread adoption.
Lively exchanges with the medtech industry
The solution developed by Hemerion brings Photodynamic Therapy into the operating room in a highly innovative, practical format that has proven its safety and feasibility in several clinical trials.
The qualities of this technology have naturally generated significant interest among teams at major medtech companies, and partnership opportunities are already being discussed to accelerate the commercialization of the device and its integration into the existing therapeutic arsenal.
Significant Momentum in the United States
Already well-established in the U.S. with a sponsored clinical trial at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC), the Hemerion team has recently expanded with the addition of Patrick Tricoli, formerly of Nanobiotix, as Senior Advisor for U.S. Strategy & Corporate Development, and the support of Phil Patton, a specialist in the U.S. neuro-oncology market.