Descripción del proyecto
Un tratamiento antineoplásico a partir de nanopartículas que combinan el diagnóstico y el tratamiento térmicos
El tratanóstico es un campo de nueva aparición en la medicina que emplea nanopartículas para diagnósticar y tratar enfermedades simultáneamente. El objetivo del proyecto financiado con fondos europeos NORTH es desarrollar nuevas clases de nanopartículas multifuncionales que combinen el diagnóstico y el tratamiento térmicos. El proyecto propone un diseño racional en el que materiales huecos, porosos, biocompatibles y multifuncionales combinarán la detección de la temperatura y la administración de fármacos o la terapia fotodinámica (TFD) en una única partícula. La medición de la temperatura, así como la administración de fármacos y la TFD, se controlarán por medio de la excitación con dos fuentes luminosas separadas cuando las nanopartículas alcancen la ubicación deseada (por ejemplo, células cancerosas).
Objetivo
The goal of this project is to develop novel types of multifunctional nanoparticles combining temperature diagnostics and therapy. More specifically we aim at combining thermometry in the physiological range with either drug delivery or photodynamic therapy (PDT) all in a single hybrid nanoparticle constructed from Periodic Mesoporous Organosilica (PMO) with lanthanide inorganic nanoparticles grown inside the pores and/or voids of (hollow) PMO particles. For diagnostic purposes temperature measurements in biomedicine are of key importance, as temperature plays an essential role in biological systems. For biomedical applications measurements in the temperature range 20-50 ºC are essential (the so-called physiological range). Although detecting the temperature can be done employing robust, and already commercially available techniques, such as thermocouples or infrared imaging, optical temperature measurements at the nanoscale allow to reveal and study phenomena otherwise inaccessible to traditional thermometers such as measuring temperature of cells and even the organelles within them. Theranostics is a recently emerging field of interest, which combines diagnostics with therapy. In this regard, the use of nanomaterials, which allow combining multiple functions in just a single particle, would be able to change the entire healthcare scene and the way certain diseases are treated. However, with the reported up to date nanothermometer materials there is very little room to expand towards multifunctional thermometric materials. We propose a rational design where hollow, porous, biocompatible, multifunctional materials would combine temperature sensing and drug delivery or PDT in a single particle, where the temperature measurements as well as drug delivery/PDT are all controlled through separate wavelength light excitation when the nanoparticles reach the desired location (e.g. cancer cells).
Ámbito científico
Palabras clave
Programa(s)
Régimen de financiación
ERC-STG - Starting GrantInstitución de acogida
9000 Gent
Bélgica