Descripción del proyecto
Determinación mediante RM del contenido de zinc del cáncer
El diagnóstico rápido y los tratamientos para el cáncer pancreático son limitados, lo que se asocia con un mal pronóstico y con una baja tasa de supervivencia. Los datos recientes indican que las células del cáncer pancreático presentan concentraciones bajas de zinc y de importadores de este elemento, mientras que el tratamiento con clioquinol ionóforo de zinc inhibe el desarrollo tumoral. El proyecto financiado con fondos europeos tZR-CA-InVivo tiene por objeto desarrollar una herramienta de resonancia magnética, concretamente un agente de contraste sensible al zinc, para cuantificar el contenido de zinc de los tejidos. El agente de contraste se diseñará específicamente para actuar sobre el tumor y ofrecer una forma de supervisar las concentraciones de zinc en los pacientes con cáncer, así como para evaluar la necesidad de aumentar dicha concentración.
Objetivo
Pancreatic cancer has the lowest survival rate Pancreatic cancer has the lowest survival rate of all cancers in Europe, the median survival time is only a few months due to the lack of test for early diagnosis, and no effective therapies for metastatic forms. Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma (PDAC), like prostate and hepatocellular cancers present a down regulation of zinc importers and low zinc content. Treatment with clioquinol, a zinc ionophore, to increase the amount of zinc in the tumor has shown to inhibit tumor growth.
This project aims at creating new tool to better detect PDAC by Magnetic Resonance Imaging, and the evaluation of di zinc ionophore to elevate the content in zinc in the tumor environment.
Using the same modular approach, a normal and a zinc responsive contrast agent targeted to the PDAC will be synthesized by conjugation of a peptidic sequence known to target the tumor bearing a Single Core Multimodal Imaging Platform for quantification, with a peptide functionalized with a normal or zinc responsive contrast agent. After careful characterizations in vitro and ex vivo, they will be used in mice implanted with orthoptic pancreatic tumors.
One of the projects developed by the “Metallic complexes for MRI” group, consist designing and using MRI probe for various substrates, including zinc. The group masters all the techniques to characterize the contrast agents, and the experience researcher (ER) will bring the knowledge about zinc biology, and infrared microscopy to quantify the contrast agent in tissues.
Benefiting from the competitive interdisciplinary environment of CBM, and within the group, the ER will acquire new technical skills, knowledge and network the frontier between chemistry, biology and MRI imaging, in particular working with animal model (mice), to adequately implement the project and complete her skill set to become an independent researcher interested in developing tools to study the role of metals in biological context.
Ámbito científico
- medical and health sciencesclinical medicineoncologyprostate cancer
- natural scienceschemical sciencesinorganic chemistrytransition metals
- natural sciencesbiological sciencesbiochemistrybiomolecules
- engineering and technologymedical engineeringdiagnostic imagingmagnetic resonance imaging
- medical and health sciencesclinical medicineoncologypancreatic cancer
Palabras clave
Programa(s)
Régimen de financiación
MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)Coordinador
75794 Paris
Francia