Multifunctional Polymeric Cyclodextrin Nanocarriers As Novel Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Treatment: A Versatile Photo-Chemotherapy Bypassing Hypoxic Conditions -- HypoCyclo (DCM.AD004.113)

Thematic area

Chemical sciences and materials technology

Project area

Structure responsible for the research project

Institute for organic syntheses and photoreactivity (ISOF)

Project manager

ROBERTO ZAMBONI
Phone number: 0516399770
Email: direzione@isof.cnr.it

Abstract

Seeking for innovative Triple Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC) therapies, HypoCyclo aims at the optimal combination of chemotherapy and photodynamic therapy (PDT). We envisage novel, tailored cyclodextrin (CyD)-based polymeric nanoparticles (NPs) able to load "known" therapeutic agents and decorated with a photosensitizer as well as an Oxygen-Releasing Agent (ORA). HypoCyclo focuses on the very effective drug paclitaxel (PCX) presenting several treatment problems like water insolubility. The polymers are expected to solubilize and encapsulate PCX in order to implement PCX chemotherapy with PDT, through the decoration with a PS able to generate antitumor reactive oxygen species (ROS) in situ. As hypoxia in TNBC compromises standard chemotherapy and PDT, we will tailor our NPs with an ORA able to release oxygen in cells, enabling an alternative ROS source. The PCX loaded NPs will be completely characterized and tested in 2D and 3D TNBC models. Our goal is to keep the synthetic protocols simple, low-cost and green to facilitate industrial upgrade of the loaded multimodal NPs endowed with improved in vitro efficacy.

Goals

Our project aims at the combination of chemotherapy with photodynamic therapy (PDT) in optimized conditions for the selective and effective treatment of TNBC. We envisage novel tailored cyclodextrin (CyD)-based polymeric NPs able to load PCX and decorated with a photosensitizer (PS) as well as a newly synthesized oxygen releasing agent (ORA). Our goal is to keep the synthetic protocols simple, low-cost and green, in order to facilitate industrial upgrade of NPs endowed with excellent stability, massive loading and improved in vitro efficacy

Start date of activity

01/09/2020

Keywords

cyclodextrin-based polymers, photodynamic therapy, hypoxia

Last update: 05/08/2025