Project: Bio-inspired functionalization of nanoplatforms for targeted delivery of therapeutics

DCU Life Sciences Institute

Modulation Of carbon Nanoparticles for pAncReatic Cancer tHerapy (MONARCH).

DCU Life Sciences - Silvia Giordani Group

This proejct is looking at engineering bio‑inspired carbon nano‑onion platforms that can cross the blood–brain barrier and deliver targeted therapies directly to glioblastoma tumours.

Challenge Space

Health Resistance

Prinicipal Investigator(s) and team names

Professor Silvia Giordani (PI), Dr. Wanting Zhang (postdoc), Dr. Riccardo Ossanna (postdoc), Manikrishna Lakavathu (PhD Student), Aravind Kannoth Anilkumar (PhD Student), Soumakanya Ram (PhD Student), Merrella Karaan (Research Assistant)

Collaborating Institutions

Funding support

Researching Ireland Frontiers for the Future Programme

Project start date

1 May, 2024

End date

30 April, 2029

Problem

Glioblastoma (GBM) remains one of the most aggressive and lethal malignancies of the central nervous system. Delivering effective therapeutics to GBM tumor sites is severely impeded by the selective blood-brain barrier (BBB), intense physical solid stress within the microenvironment, and rapid emergence of therapeutic resistance.

Novel delivery platforms that can bypass these barriers and bring therapeutic agents directly to the cells is highly needed.

Background

Nanomedicine platforms offer a promising strategy to navigate these biophysical barriers.

Among those, carbon nano-onions (CNOs) have emerged as a strong candidate due to their ultra-small size (~ 5 nm), minimal biotoxicity, and highly surface functionalization potential. Both in vitro and in vivo studies demonstrate that functionalized CNOs exhibit low toxicity and excellent biocompatibility.

Moreover, surface-functionalized with a targeting ligand, these chemotherapeutic-loaded CNOs demonstrate selective anticancer activity against tumor cells.

Solution

This project develops surface functionalized CNO platforms to address key challenges in GBM cancer imaging and treatment. By conjugating biological targeting ligands such as peptide, protein onto CNOs, our team create nanocarriers engineered to selectively enter tumor tissues.

This strategy enables targeted and controlled therapeutic delivery while minimizing off-target side effects.

Furthermore, conjugating CNOs with near‑infrared fluorophores enables deep‑tissue imaging and real‑time tracking of nanoparticle distribution in vivo.