Cancer remains a major health problem, being a leading cause of death worldwide. Despite the ongoing efforts, current treatment options are largely insufficient, being associated to multiple limitations. This fact highlight the urgent need for the development of novel therapeutic interventions, just like those involving the combination of gene therapy and chemotherapy. 
Nanotechnology-based systems could greatly contribute to the success of these combined antitumor strategies, since nanosystems, namely targeted-nanosystems, have the capacity to specifically and efficiently deliver the therapeutic molecules into target cells.

The main goal of our group is to generate novel delivery nanosystems that have the ability to mediate new combined multi-target antitumor strategies, such as those involving  genetic material and drugs, in order to obtain a higher therapeutic efficacy than that achieved with current treatment options. 

Our principal objectives are:
- To develop and widely characterize different delivery nanosystems (in terms of: mean diameter; surface charge; morphology; genetic material complexation and protection; drug loading and release; biocompatibility; interaction and release into cancer cells). 
- To generate and evaluate multitarget antitumor approaches (in terms of: cell viability; proliferation; migration; apoptosis and necrosis levels; cell cycle; mRNA and protein levels of the molecular targets; tumor size and histology; animal survival) acting in several signaling pathways of carcinogenesis.
- To demonstrate that the generated nanosystems and the innovative antitumor strategies could result in a higher therapeutic activity and less side effects than conventional therapeutic strategies in different cancer diseases.

Keywords

Nanosystems

Gene delivery

Drug delivery

Targeted cancer therapy

Research Lines 

1 - Development and characterization of novel inorganic-, lipid- and polymer-based nanosystems that have the ability to specifically and efficiently deliver different therapeutic agents, such as genetic material and drugs, into target cells.

2 - Generations of combined multitarget antitumor strategies, acting in several signaling pathways of carcinogenesis; assessment of the in vitro and in vivo antitumor activity of the combined and individual strategies; and clarification of the underlying tumor cell death mechanisms.

Ongoing Research Projects 

Development of an innovative targeted-nanoparticle formulation for combined gene therapy and chemotherapy application in hepatocellular carcinoma” (IF/01007/2015) - FCT 

Development of an innovative nanosystem to mediate a combined and multi-target therapeutic strategy to hepatocellular carcinoma (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-30916) - FCT 

Publicitação

External Collaborations

Arménio Serra (CEMMPRE, and Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Coimbra)

Christopher Heeschen (Barts Cancer Institute, and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, UK)

Helena Gil (CIEPQPF, and Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Coimbra)

Isabel Soares (Chemistry Department, University of Coimbra)

Jorge Coelho (CEMMPRE, and Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Coimbra)

Luísa Durães (CIEPQPF, and Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Coimbra)

Michael T. Migawa (Medicinal Chemistry Department, Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc., CA, USA)

Paula Gomes (REQUIMTE, and Chemistry and Biochemistry Department, University of Porto)

Teresa Pinho e Melo (Chemistry Department, University of Coimbra)

Funding Agency 

• FCT

Selected Publications 

Vaz-Ramos, J., Cordeiro, R., Castro, M. M., Geraldes, C. F., Costa, B., Faneca, H., Durães, L. (2020). Supercritically dried superparamagnetic mesoporous silica nanoparticles for cancer theranostics. Material Science & Engineering C, 115:111124-111138. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.msec.2020.111124 

Cordeiro, R. A., Serra, A., Coelho, J. F. J., & Faneca, H. (2019). Poly(β-amino ester)-based gene delivery systems: From discovery to therapeutic applications. Journal of Controlled Release, 310, 155-187. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jconrel.2019.08.024

Santo, D., Mendonça, P. V., Lima, M. S., Cordeiro, R. A., Cabanas, L., Serra, A., Coelho, J.F.J., & Faneca, H. (2019). Poly(ethylene glycol)-block-poly(2-aminoethyl methacrylate hydrochloride)-Based Polyplexes as Serum-Tolerant Nanosystems for Enhanced Gene Delivery. Molecular Pharmaceutics, 16(5), 2129-2141. https://doi: 10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.9b00101

Soares, E., Cordeiro, R., Faneca, H., & Borges, O. (2019). Polymeric nanoengineered HBsAg DNA vaccine designed in combination with β‑glucan. International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, 122, 930-939. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2018.11.024

Cordeiro, R. A., Santo, D., Farinha, D., Serra, A., Faneca*, H., & Coelho*, J. F. J. (2017). High transfection efficiency promoted by tailor-made cationic tri-block copolymer-based nanoparticles. Acta Biomaterialia, 47, 113-123. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actbio.2016.10.015

Santo, D., Cordeiro, R. A., Sousa, A., Serra, A., Coelho, J. F. J., & Faneca, H. (2017). Combination of Poly[(2-dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate] and Poly(β-amino ester) Results in a Strong and Synergistic Transfection Activity. Biomacromolecules, 18(10), 3331-3342. https://doi: 10.1021/acs.biomac.7b00983

Passadouro, M., & Faneca, H. (2016). Managing Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma: A Special Focus in MicroRNA Gene Therapy. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 17(5), 718. https://doi:10.3390/ijms17050718 

Magalhães, M., Farinha, D., Pedroso de Lima, M. C., & Faneca, H. (2014). Increased gene delivery efficiency and specificity of a lipid-based nanosystem incorporating a glycolipid. International Journal of Nanomedicine, 9, 4979-4989. https://doi: 10.2147/IJN.S69822

Farinha, D., Pedroso de Lima, M. C., & Faneca, H. (2014). Specific and efficient gene delivery mediated by an asialofetuin-associated nanosystem. International Journal of Pharmaceutics, 473(1), 366-374. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpharm.2014.07.019

Passadouro, M., Pedroso de Lima, M. C., & Faneca, H. (2014). MicroRNA modulation combined with sunitinib as a novel therapeutic strategy for pancreatic cancer. International Journal of Nanomedicine, 9, 3203-3217. https://doi: 10.2147/IJN.S64456