Biomimetic Nanosystems and Detection Devices Applied to Cancer Diagnosis and Therapy

• Grant number: 24/20799-8
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: May 01, 2025
• End date: April 30, 2027
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Physics - Condensed Matter Physics
• Principal Investigator: Valtencir Zucolotto
• Grantee: Valtencir Zucolotto
• Host Institution: Instituto de Física de São Carlos (IFSC). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Carlos , SP, Brazil
• Associated researchers: Juliana Cancino Bernardi

Abstract

The applications of nanotechnology in medicine have expanded our ability to develop multifunctional structures that combine diagnostic and therapeutic functions in a single nanostructured complex. These materials have shown interest for several applications, mainly in the diagnosis and treatment of infectious diseases and cancer. This project aims at developing new nanostructured materials for the diagnosis and therapy of complex diseases, with a focus on non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and glioblastoma (GBM), a highly aggressive type of brain cancer. This proposal is divided into two main lines, namely: i) Production of biomimetic nanoparticles from cell membranes isolated from lung cancer and GBM cells, intended for the delivery of chemotherapeutic agents and natural actives, whose use in therapy has been hampered due to their adverse effects and the action of resistance mechanisms; and ii) Development of biosensors for the detection of neuronal-specific enolase (NSE) and the cytokeratin-19 fragment (CYFRA 21-1) for NSCLC lung cancer, important biomarkers in the development of this pathology. Emphasis will be given to understanding the interaction between nanostructures with target molecules and cells, by spectroscopic, microscopic and calorimetric techniques, aiming at obtaining systems with high stability and defined properties, attributes required for applications in nanomedicine. These nanoconjugates will also be evaluated for their toxicity, as well as their specificity and interaction with different types of tumor and non-tumor cells. (AU)