Contact person: Ajmal Zarinwall
Project description:
The treatment of inoperable tumors on the basis of nanoscale drug carrier systems represents a promising alternative to currently established therapeutic methods such as chemotherapy. Targeted local applications of cytosolic therapeutics are made possible by the use of functionalized nanoparticles. However, only a very small part of the nanosystems is released from the endosomes after cellular uptake, while the majority is degraded lysosomally or ejected from the cell as part of a “recycling process” (A). Therefore, high systemic doses are required, which are associated with serious side effects. However, this natural barrier can be overcome by introducing a further component into the particle system, an endosomal escape enhancer (EnEsEn), and thus drastically reducing the necessary dose through a considerable increase in efficiency (B).
Within the framework of this project:
Figure 1: Cellular uptake of nanoparticulate based tumor therapeutics and their ejection from the cell (A), or the overcoming of this by the use of a multi-component system, which results in apoptotic cell death by inactivation of the ribosomes. The carrier system is superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPION).
Project partners:
Institut für Laboratoriumsmedizin, Klinische Chemie und Pathobiochemie (Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin)