MAGNIFYCO

MAGNETIC NANOCONTAINERS FOR COMBINED HYPERTHERMIA AND CONTROLLED DRUG RELEASE

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 Obiettivo del progetto (Objective)

'The aim of this project is the assembly and the fabrication of a new generation of multifunctional nanostructures for performing combined hyperthermia and controlled drug release, specifically targeted to cancer cells. The “magnetic nanocontainers” we intend to develop can perform at the same time cell recognition, hyperthermia treatment, and, as a consequence of the heat and /or cell environment stimuli, the release of drug with high selectivity for ovarian carcinoma. These multifunctional tasks are made possible due to the inclusion of three main components: a) the magnetic nanoparticles, allowing detection by MRI, cancer treatment by hyperthermia and providing stimuli for drug release; b) the nanocontainers, which allow for drug encapsulation and protection from degradation, facilitate the release of the drug upon application of an external stimulus, such as heat, or an internal one, such as the acidic pH of the tumour cells; c) the antibody fragments attached to the surface of the magnetic nanocontainers to deliver them selectively to the ovarian cancer cells. The individual building blocks and their assemblies will be characterized with respect to physical, chemical, and biological features, followed by dissemination of the newly acquired knowledge. Cell culture experiments will allow to understand the performance of such nano-tools in vitro. Directed towards application in patients, in vivo animal studies will be carried out on the most successful magnetic nanocontainers. The objectives of this proposal cover a wide range of scientific fields, hence a truly interdisciplinary collaboration between chemists, physicists, and biologists is required. To this end, we propose a european network collaboration between academic partners, who will take care of the development of new solutions for nanofabrication, and industrial partners implied in the field of the proposed application who will evaluate/develop the materials and act as advisors for risks arising during the project.'

Introduzione (Teaser)

An innovative and multivalent approach boasts to successfully treat ovarian cancer by exploiting new magnetic nanoparticles. European researchers have developed nanostructures capable of localising heat and chemotherapy drug release.

Descrizione progetto (Article)

Ovarian carcinoma constitutes a leading cause of death among women. Initial symptoms are hard to distinguish, hampering prompt diagnosis of the disease.

Treatment options include surgery followed by chemotherapy to treat any residual disease. However, given the invasive nature of these approaches, alternative and more specific strategies are urgently required.

The EU-funded 'Magnetic nanocontainers for combined hyperthermia and controlled drug release' (MAGNIFYCO) project proposed to combine heat therapy with chemotherapy to treat ovarian cancer. More specifically, the MAGNIFYCO consortium aimed to generate novel multifunctional nanostructures loaded with chemotherapy drugs and iron oxide nanoparticles capable of generating heat.

These magnetic nanoparticles were guided within the body and localised onto the tumour through magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The nanostructures were finally functionalised with antibody fragments (Fabs) on their surface in order to allow selective delivery of the structure to cancer cells overexpressing the folate receptor alpha (FRa).

Partners explored a variety of different nanocontainers in the form of tobacco mosaic virus nanotubes, biological vesicles, solid lipid nanoparticles or self-assembled peptides. The goal was to ensure protection of the drug from enzymatic degradation, but at the same time make sure it was sensitive to external stimuli, such as heat and pH change, in order to induce release of chemotherapeutic drugs. Using ovarian cancer as a model, partners selected the drugs currently being used for treatment.

Various inorganic nanoparticles were tested for their ability to become magnetically functionalised with one of the breakthroughs being the coating of virus particles with iron crystals. Overall, the combinatorial nature of the MAGNIFYCO approach promises a more effective therapeutic outcome than either method used on its own.