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Even though the fight against cancer has been long-standing, cancer still remains one of the leading causes of death worldwide. The current standard of cancer care comprises the elimination of solid tumors by surgery followed by treatment with chemotherapeutic drugs. However, the anticancer drugs used in chemotherapy also target other healthy tissues in the body resulting in toxicity to vital organs. In the last decades, a new technology has been developed for local hyperthermia using magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) as heating sources to increase the temperature of the cancer cells up to a level at which apoptosis can be initiated. This new technology, that relies on the capability of MNPs to convert electromagnetic energy into thermal energy, upon their exposure to an external alternating magnetic field (AMF), has been called magnetic hyperthermia (MH) and has become one of the most promising innovative cancer therapy.
In the current project we aim to to synthesize ferrite MNPs (MFe2O4, M=Co2+, Mn2+, and Zn2+) by means of a polyol based synthesis, with applicability in the MH treatment. To increase the biocompatibility and biodisponibility of the synthesized MNPs a post-synthesis bio-functionalization with PEG molecules will be performed. This polymer, widely used for its hydrophilicity and low antigenicity, assures steric stabilization of MNPs, prevents their plasma opsonization and their uptake by macrophages, increasing MNPs circulation in vivo. Moreover, the steric stabilization of ferrite MNPs can lead to a significant improvement in their magnetic properties, making these functionalized ferrite MNPs more efficient in MH treatment.
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