Anticancer effects induced by magnetic nanoparticles
linked with doxorubicin exposed
to an alternative magnetic field

ONCOMACH

PN-III-P1-1.1-TE-2021-0498

Contract no TE ...........

Mortality rates in cancer are still high, despite important advances in oncology, while the existing therapies often cause side effects or even lead to treatment interruption. However, the combination of magnetic hyperthermia (MH) with chemotherapy through one single versatile nano-platform represents a really promising technology in the treatment of cancer. In this project we propose to further extend the very recent advancements in both preparation and application of magnetic nanocluster (MNC) to cancer treatment with the precise goal of elaborating biofunctionalized hybrid MNC capable to be easily directed to the tumor site by magnetic field gradients thus increasing the drug concentration at the tumor site and decreasing the toxic side effects. Moreover, these hybrid MNC have a huge potential for synergistically increasing the antitumor activity of the chemotherapy by sensitizing the tumor cells through MH. The hybrid MNC will be prepared by employing solvothermal method where polydopamine analogues will be used as coating agent, which offer the possibility to easily attach doxorubicin (DOX) through non-covalent interactions. The intrinsic toxicity of DOX-MNC will be assessed by means of multiple complementary types of viability assays on different types of normal and cancer cells. In the final phase of the project, we will evaluate the magneto-chemotherapeutic antitumor effects of DOX-MNC using experimental models like cell pellets, tumor spheroids and “tumor on a chip”.