BetaGlue and the EIC Accelerator: Radiotherapy Injected Into Tumours

BetaGlue Therapeutics, based in Milan, develops YntraDose, formerly called BAT-90: radioactive yttrium-90 microspheres mixed into a surgical glue that sets within 120 seconds, injected through the skin directly into a tumour so that the radiation stays in the injected area. In March 2024 it announced a €10 million EIC Accelerator award, a €2.5 million grant and €7.5 million of equity, according to BetaGlue. The grant project received €2,499,999 towards a total cost of €7,135,824 and ran from April 2024 to December 2025, according to CORDIS.

During the project BetaGlue changed its lead indication. The project report says the scope was refined to "prioritize LA-PDAC over HCC", locally advanced pancreatic cancer over liver cancer, according to CORDIS. In late 2025 the UK, Italian and Belgian authorities approved its pancreatic cancer study, and it started on 3 February 2026 with ten patients planned, according to ClinicalTrials.gov. BetaGlue had said it expected preliminary results by the end of 2026.

Where BetaGlue Stands Now

In August 2026 BetaGlue announced a peer-reviewed study in Nuclear Medicine and Biology in which YntraDose was injected into the lungs of seven pigs, forming a localised implant with no radiation detected outside the injected lung, according to BetaGlue. In 2025 it signed an exclusive global agreement with Artivion to secure supply of BioGlue, the glue in its product. Its earlier first-in-human work treated a liver cancer patient at New Hospitals in Tbilisi, Georgia. Its accounts were not accessible in free sources.

The Technology: Radiation That Stays Put

BetaGlue embeds yttrium-90 microspheres in a matrix that polymerises in the tumour, so the beads stay in place instead of spreading to surrounding tissue. The company says this needs a much lower radioactive dose than conventional radio-metabolic treatments. The project optimised the product's preparation, confirmed that the microspheres are evenly distributed and released customised dosimetry software.

What the EIC Award Promised, and What the Record Shows

The award promised to advance a "radiotherapy from within" platform for solid tumours in multiple indications. The project delivered product optimisation, dosimetry software, a quality system and study approvals, and redirected the programme to pancreatic cancer. By the project's end no pancreatic patient had been treated; the study began two months later.

1. Product optimisationDeliveredProject report.
2. Clinical study approvalsDeliveredUK, Italy, Belgium.
3. Liver cancer programmeDeprioritisedSwitched to pancreas.
4. Clinical resultsPendingStudy recruiting.

The Money

BetaGlue raised €24 million in 2024: the €10 million EIC award, an €8 million equity round and €6 million from Italy's ENEA-Tech and Biomedical Foundation, according to BetaGlue. The EU grant covered only 35% of the €7.1 million project.

What Cannot Be Checked

Why Europe Should Care

BetaGlue calls locally advanced pancreatic cancer a pressing unmet need with limited treatment options, and projects it to become the second leading cause of cancer death by 2030. A European device that delivers radiation precisely into such tumours, if it proves safe and effective, would be a new tool against one of the deadliest cancers.

The Verdict

BetaGlue and the EIC have not been asked for comment for this article. It is based entirely on public records and published statements, linked throughout.