On April 9, 2025, at the National Institute for Bioprocessing Research and Training (NIBRT) in Dublin, Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, Peter Burke, announced a significant €17 million investment in two innovative projects – ‘Can-Vas’ and ‘LOTUS’ – as part of the 7th Call of funding from the Disruptive Technologies Innovation Fund (DTIF).
Among these initiatives, the Can-Vas project, Led by HAON Life Sciences, has received funding of €10.7 million. This groundbreaking project aims to facilitate a pioneering clinical trial using placental cell therapy to treat brain injuries in infants. Additionally, the initiative seeks to enhance the development pipeline for cell and gene therapies addressing rare and severe debilitating conditions.
The Can-Vas initiative is progressing the development of a novel cell-based therapy, Can-Vas-001, designed to address severe brain injuries in newborns and potentially other patients. The investigational therapy harnesses the regenerative potential of two distinct placental cell types and has already demonstrated promising outcomes in large animal models of early-stage brain injury. The therapy’s initial target is Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy (HIE)—a rare yet critical condition caused by oxygen deprivation to the infant brain during or around birth. HIE remains a leading contributor to neonatal mortality and lifelong disabilities, including cerebral palsy.
The project is being led by HAON Life Sciences and brings together a consortium of expert partners. NIBRT is responsible for leading the analytical development of the therapy, while another partner in the project, Hitech Health, will oversee the clinical manufacturing of Can-Vas-001. The INFANT Research Centre at University College Cork contributes its internationally recognized expertise in neonatal brain injury and will play a key role in steering the clinical development of the treatment for Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy (HIE).
NIBRT’s early stage biotherapy development facility, CONCEPT, will be responsible for developing a comprehensive set of analytical tests to validate the quality, consistency, and safety of the Can-Vas-001 cell therapy. These tests will form the basis for release assays, helping to confirm key characteristics such as the therapy’s identity, purity, potency, and mechanism of action. Under the leadership of Dr. Clair Gallagher, this work plays a vital role in supporting the therapy’s progression toward clinical trials and the broader goal of delivering transformative treatments to patients. The CONCEPT team brings together senior specialists in stem cell characterization, comparability studies, and the development of advanced therapeutic products.
I am delighted to announce awards of over €17 million to two exciting and hugely innovative projects under Call 7 of the Disruptive Technologies Innovation Fund. These two projects demonstrate the importance of the fund in leveraging emerging technologies for the well-being of our citizens. The technology in these projects will provide life-changing solutions for patients undergoing cancer treatment and for new and expectant parents where the safety and well-being of their unborn child is paramount. By funding these projects, the Government is maintaining its commitment to investing in cutting-edge technologies, with consequent benefits for the health care sector and other national research priority areas.
Since the Fund launch in 2018, my Department has awarded over €393 million in funding to 107 collaborative DTIF projects. Importantly, the fund is giving enterprises and research institutions opportunities to engage and connect with some of the brightest minds in Ireland, to conceive ideas, build relationships and foster knowledge-sharing for the benefit of all.
Peter Burke, Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment
