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Nanoengineering of radioactive seeds for cancer therapy and diagnosis

Objective

One of the major challenges in modern society is the early diagnosis and treatment of diseases. Cancer is one of the most relevant diseases worldwide because of its incidence, prevalence and mortality. During the past decades, considerable efforts have been devoted to understand the origin of the disease, find early detection methods that could improve the survival rate of cancer patients or develop treatments and devices that could reduce or eradicate cancer. The application of nanotechnology to medicine (nanomedicine) has become one of the most promising routes for the diagnosis and treatment of diseases. The small size of nanomaterials, large surface area and high reactivity impart unique physicochemical properties to these materials, in such a way that several therapeutics based on nanomaterials (liposomes, nanoparticles, polymers) have already been approved for clinical use in humans. However, there are still limitations that need to be overcome to obtain novel and efficient nanocarriers for oncology applications.

NEST presents an innovative approach that aims to engineer ultra-sensitive imaging and therapeutic agents. An unprecedented amount of ‘hot’ radionuclides, in the form of crystals, will be hermetically sealed in the interior of hollow nanostructures (seeds), thus preventing leakage and interaction of the radionuclides with the biological milieu. The in vivo fate will thus be merely governed by the nanocarrier and will be alien to the encaged radionuclides. Rational engineering of the nanoseeds in terms of size, shape and surface properties will be employed to tune their pharmacokinetic profile and biodistribution, including tumour targeting. The large amount of radionuclides encased in each of the seeds is expected to allow a more personalised treatment of cancer and ultra-sensitive imaging, for an early diagnosis.

Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)

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Keywords

Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)

Programme(s)

Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.

Topic(s)

Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.

Funding Scheme

Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.

ERC-COG - Consolidator Grant

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Call for proposal

Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.

(opens in new window) ERC-2016-COG

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Host institution

AGENCIA ESTATAL CONSEJO SUPERIOR DE INVESTIGACIONES CIENTIFICAS
Net EU contribution

Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.

€ 1 999 965,00
Address
CALLE SERRANO 117
28006 MADRID
Spain

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Region
Comunidad de Madrid Comunidad de Madrid Madrid
Activity type
Research Organisations
Links
Total cost

The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.

€ 1 999 965,00

Beneficiaries (1)

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