A gel-network depot for bringing advance strategies for skin cancer: GELNANODEP

Programme(s): H2020-EU.1.3.2. - Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility
Topic(s): MSCA-IF-2020 - Individual Fellowships
Call for proposal: H2020-MSCA-IF-2020
Funding Scheme: MSCA-IF-EF-SE - Society and Enterprise panel

Grant agreement ID: 101029908

Objective
GELNANODEP aims at inserting in the background of the advance drug delivery systems an innovative clinical treatment for skin cancer diseases as melanoma. The main goal of GELNANODEP system is to exploit a synergic therapeutic anticancer approach by using a gel depot loaded natural bacteriophages and a natural bio compound encapsulated with surface engineering nanoparticles. This project intends to propose a novel and alternative approach to avoid the usual severe side-effects affected by the systemic administration of the anticancer pharmaceuticals (e.g. intravenous injections or oral). So, the transdermal drug delivery system is proposed as alternatives that offer promising strategies for the treatment of skin tumours. Melanoma is a skin cancer which can become metastatic, drug-refractory, and lethal if managed late or inappropriately. Besides these already complicated conditions, it is largely known how the depletion of the immunological defence system of the cancer patient can induce infections by opportunist microbial pathogens such as bacteria and fungi. Pathogenic microorganisms with cancers have been reported frequently associated with chronic inflammation in skin malignancies, which can promote skin carcinogenesis inducing the ulceration of cutaneous lesions, and last but not list increasing patient mortality.
The GELNANODEP system provides a depot based on a thermosensitive biodegradable and biocompatible triblock copolymer carrying: (I) surface engineered nanoparticles to specific target alpha 2-beta-3 integrin expressed on tumour cells and selective release sulforaphane which is a natural dietary isothiocyanate mostly characterized by its potent anticancer activity, and (II) naturally bacteriophages inducing the death of pathogenic bacteria.
This proposal will be pursued by a highly interdisciplinary skills, composed of pharmaceutics, polymer chemistry, biology, molecular biology, oncology, clinicals and microbiology.