Project description
Nanoscintillators to improve cancer radiation therapy
Over 50 % of cancer patients undergo radiation therapy (RT), but delivering effective doses to tumour tissues while protecting healthy tissues remains challenging. Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), the most common primary brain cancer in adults, has a poor prognosis despite aggressive treatment. The ERC-funded RADIANCE project will investigate the diverse radiotherapeutic effects of nanoscintillators (NS) to enhance the therapeutic index of RT. NS can convert high-energy photons, such as X-rays, into UV and visible light, improving RT through dose enhancement, photodynamic therapy, and DNA damage. This project will use spectroscopic studies to examine reactive oxygen species and DNA lesions produced by X-ray exposure and simulate NS efficacy through an in silico programme.
Objective
More than 50% of cancer patients undergo radiation therapy (RT) in the course of their treatment. However, because of a lack of specificity for tumor tissues, delivering therapeutically effective doses of X rays with tolerable toxicity on healthy tissues remains a challenge. Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), the most common primary brain cancer in adults has a dismal prognosis despite an aggressive standard-of-care. Developing new strategies to improve the therapeutic index of RT is therefore of major importance. The aim of this project is to comprehensively study the multifaceted radiotherapeutic effect of nanoscintillators (NS), and determine how to harness these effects to improve the therapeutic index of RT. By converting high-energy photons such as X-rays into UV/visible photons, NS can augment RT by various effects. These include radiation dose enhancement, radioluminescence-induced photodynamic therapy and DNA damage generated by UV-radioluminescence. This project has three main objectives: 1) To elucidate the physical and photochemical origins of the radiotherapeutic effects of NS using spectroscopic studies to identify the reactive oxygen species and DNA lesions generated upon X-rays; 2) To study the biological impact of the NS on 3D models and in syngeneic rat models of GBM; 3) To develop an in silico program that simulates the efficacy of prospective NS, and studies the impact of their composition, size and morphology. This will tailor future NS to specific malignancies with distinct biological properties. With this innovative methodology and an interdisciplinary approach that ranges from physics to biology, this project will provide ground-breaking fundamental knowledge on the radiotherapeutic effects of NS that may lead to highly valuable and clinically translatable therapies. In the long-term, this strategy may be tailored for pancreatic and metastatic ovarian cancers, for which the multifaceted enhancement of RT efficacy by NS may be of great interest.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- natural sciences biological sciences genetics DNA
- medical and health sciences clinical medicine oncology
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-ERC - HORIZON ERC Grants
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2023-STG
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
75654 PARIS
France
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.