Medical biotech Ferronova completes enrolment for gastric and oesophageal cancer image-guided surgery trial.

ADELAIDE, Australia, Feb. 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Australian company Ferronova announced today it has completed enrolment of patients for its two-year trial to progress commercialisation of FerroTrace, a novel nanoparticle image-guided surgery solution for hard-to-treat cancers.

The technology is intended to assist surgeons in identifying lymph nodes involved in metastatic spread, thereby enabling targeted removal and reducing the risk of post-surgical recurrence. The study is the first of its kind in which tracer injection to map lymphatic drainage pathways is performed prior to any chemotherapy or radiotherapy. 

Key highlights

• Patient enrolment has been completed in adults with gastric and oesophageal cancers across five hospital sites in Australia, with a total of 62 patients enrolled, exceeding initial projections.
• Evaluations and results from the trial are expected to be available in July 2026.
• The trial follows several smaller first-in-human studies conducted between 2020-2024.
• FerroTrace addresses an unmet need in surgical guidance for hard-to-treat cancers, with oesophageal and stomach cancers in the world’s top five deadliest cancer types.
• Stomach and oesophageal cancers affect more than 1.8 million people worldwide each year, with recurrence after surgery occuring in up to 60% of patients. In Australia, three-year survival for oseophageal cancer remains at just 27%.
  

FerroTrace uses super-paramagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles that bind to cells within lymph nodes. The technology is designed to support more precise surgery, helping surgeons to identify and remove cancer-affected lymph nodes that are frequently missed during standard procedures.

Stewart Bartlett Chief Executive Officer of Ferronova said he was delighted that the trial had completed recruitment.

 “The investigators at the Royal Adelaide, Queen Elizabeth, Flinders, Austin Hospital, and Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre have done an amazing job recruiting patients in a relatively short time. We are looking forward to working with them to complete the final follow-up visits and analyse the data.”

“We hope to give surgeons the opportunity to work with greater diagnostic accuracy and precision, enabling less invasive surgery in some patients, and more precise surgery overall, ensuring all cancer-affected lymph nodes are identified and removed.  This trial is an important step in validating our technology as we move towards commercial availability.”

Appointment of new advisory board member
Ferronova has also appointed a new scientific advisory board member with Ms Aki Smith, a patient advocate, taking up the role this month. Ms Smith founded the US-based charity ‘Hope for Stomach Cancer’ following her father’s diagnosis. The charity provides resources and support to those living with stomach cancer and their families.  

Mr Bartlett welcomed Ms Smith to the advisory board, saying her lived experience will help to inform future trial design and innovations.

“The role of Ms Smith and other members for the scientific advisory board is very important to our company.  Ferronova is deeply committed to finding new solutions for those affected by these aggressive and difficult to treat cancers.

“We are very supportive of patients having a greater voice in the development and evaluation of new treatments, including those involving our technology.”

ABOUT FERRONOVA

Ferronova is an Australian medical technology company headquartered in Adelaide, South Australia. Its mission is to improve treatment options in early stage, complex cancers and increase survival rates with its unique surgical oncology tracer system. Shareholders include Renew Pharmaceuticals Limited (subsidiary of UltraGreen.ai), Uniseed/UniSuper, the South Australian Venture Capital Fund (SAVCF), Artesian Venture Partners, the University of South Australia, Powerhouse Ventures, the University of Wellington in New Zealand, the University of Sydney, PAN Ventures, STOIC Venture Capital, and Perennial Partners Future of Healthcare Fund.  Grant assistance has been provided by the SA Government since 2016 and through the Federal Government’s BioMedTech Horizons Program, operated by MTPConnect and Australian Government CRC-P program. For more information go to: www.ferronova.com.au 

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SOURCE Ferronova Pty Ltd.