CNIO Awarded Three-Year Grant to Advance MeCo Score in Breast Cancer

€320K grant supports expansion of MeCo Diagnostics' predictive biomarker guiding antifibrotic therapy

Published on Feb. 27, 2026

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MeCo Diagnostics, a clinical-stage precision oncology company, announced that its long-time collaborator, Dr. Miguel Quintela-Fandino, Director of the Breast Cancer Clinical Research Program at the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO), has been awarded a three-year, €320,000 research grant to advance the MeCo Score for its lead indication in breast cancer. The grant will further evaluate the MeCo Score clinically and expand the translational dataset supporting MeCo Score-guided antifibrotic strategies in numerous aggressive tumor models.

Why it matters

The MeCo Score is a first-in-class, drug-agnostic predictive biomarker that enables rational selection of antifibrotic strategies in oncology, initially focused on breast cancer, with wide-ranging potential clinical applications spanning many common tumor types. This grant from a major European biomedical research agency reflects continued independent clinical investigation of the MeCo Score and complements ongoing translational and clinical programs currently advancing MeCo Diagnostics' lead asset and broader platform.

The details

The €320,000 ($378,000) grant from The Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII) is titled, 'Tumor Biomechanics and Precision Oncology: Evaluation of the Mechanical Conditioning (MeCo) Score and New Therapeutic Strategies in HER2-negative Breast Cancer.' The study will further evaluate the MeCo Score clinically, while also expanding the translational dataset supporting MeCo Score-guided antifibrotic strategies in numerous aggressive tumor models. In 2024, Dr. Quintela-Fandino was the lead author of a proof-of-concept Phase 2 study which clinically validated the MeCo Score, showing a 62% reduction in risk of recurrence for patients with early-stage, High MeCo Score breast tumors who received neoadjuvant antifibrotic therapy plus chemotherapy, compared to chemotherapy alone.

  • In 2024, Dr. Quintela-Fandino was the lead author of a proof-of-concept Phase 2 study which clinically validated the MeCo Score.
  • The €320,000 ($378,000) grant from The Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII) was awarded in February 2026.

The players

MeCo Diagnostics

A clinical-stage precision oncology company enabling antifibrotic therapy for cancer.

Dr. Miguel Quintela-Fandino

Director of the Breast Cancer Clinical Research Program at the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO).

The Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII)

A major biomedical research agency in Europe that awarded the €320,000 grant.

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The takeaway

This grant from a major European biomedical research agency reflects the continued independent clinical investigation and validation of the MeCo Score, a first-in-class predictive biomarker that enables rational selection of antifibrotic strategies in oncology with wide-ranging potential applications. The funding will support further evaluation of the MeCo Score clinically and expansion of the translational dataset, complementing ongoing programs advancing MeCo Diagnostics' lead asset and broader platform.