Project: Dendronized nanoparticles designed for targeted multimodal image guided therapy

Acronym	THERAGET (Reference Number: EURONANOMED2020-121)
Duration	01/01/2021 - 01/01/2024
Project Topic	A major challenge in nanomedicine is to develop targeted multifunctional nanoplatforms (NPFs) that allow diagnosis, therapy, and follow-up by imaging adapted to each patient and disease. Our project aims at validating the innovative design of targeting multimodal imaging (MRI, SPECT&PET) and therapeutic (magnetic hyperthermia (MH)) NPFs using already validated targeting ligands (TLs) for tumors. NPFs, that we will develop, allow multimodal imaging and therapy and monitoring the effect of treatment by imaging. 10 nm iron oxide nanoparticles coated with dendron molecule (DNPs) were shown through 4 preclinical proof-of-concept studies to be excellent MRI contrast agents with a capacity to target, after coupling of specific TLs, hypoxia states and melanin granules in a murine melanoma model after intravenous (i.v.) injection. DNPs form stable colloidal suspensions. Remarkably, upon i.v. injection, DNPs display excellent biodistribution and bioelimination profiles and show no uptake by the reticulo-endothelial system. DNPs can also provide an anticancer therapeutic platform by MH. DNPs are developed towards clinical applications: a patent in 2014 and a start-up created in 2019. Here we propose i) engineering of 2 types of DNPs (1 for diagnosis and 1 combining diagnosis and therapy), ii) DNPs functionalization with TLs and/or SPECT/PET probes and iii) preclinical proof-of-concept for improved diagnostics and therapy of solid tumours. To ensure clinical translation, the consortium includes, besides research labs, 2 SMEs: CheMatech (chelating agents) and BIOEMTECH (PET&SPECT imaging). DNPs as diagnostic and theranostic probes are at the TRL4 and the consortium expertise renders the proposed technology transferrable to TRL6. The involvement of 2 SMEs will result in the focused and commercially driven generation of translation-ready preclinical data and set the stage for follow-up preclinical and clinical studies expected to contribute to European theranostics industry.
Network	EuroNanoMed III
Call	Joint Transnational Call (2020)

Project partner

Number	Name	Role	Country
1	Institut of Physics and Chemistry of Materials of Strasbourg - UMR CNRS UNISTRA 7504	Coordinator	France
2	University of Mons	Partner	Belgium
3	BIOEMTECH	Partner	Greece
4	CheMatech	Partner	France
5	Iuliu Hatieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy	Partner	Romania