Research INanoTheRad

INanoTheRad aims to provide clinics and society with new solutions to improve cancer treatments. These solutions, resulting from disruptive research, aim to minimize side effects, overcome the radio-resistance of tumors and improve the personalization of treatment protocols for patients. They consist in using irradiation protocols based on conventional or alternative sources, combined or not with other procedures such as the addition of nanoagents. New treatment solutions arise from:

  • Development of new medical sources for irradiation protocols (sources of photons or high dose rate particles, ion or plasma microbeams) as well as the characterization of their physical, chemical and biological processes and impacts, molecular scale in vivo. A wide range of irradiation strategies including ionizing radiation (photons or ions) but also internal radiotherapy and radio-immunotherapy are proposed;
  • Development of molecules and nanoparticles targeting tumors to improve radiotherapy. These agents, potentially synthesized by green chemistry methods, will be non-toxic, able to cross biological barriers and able to concentrate in tumours. They will enhance the effects of radiation and potentially carry drugs and/or contrast agents (theranostics). The effect of these agents on the radiobiological impact and the immunological response will be assessed in vitro, in vivo and clinically;
  • Development of image-guided modalities conditioned by improved imaging tools for better diagnosis and prognosis. Promising new imaging techniques will be explored such as attosecond X-ray imaging or Tera-Hz wave accelerators;
  • Development of new nanodosimetry tools and methods to ensure the standardization and transferability of solutions to the clinic. This step will require a characterization of the mechanisms based on new multi-scale spatio-temporal approaches. All strategies ranging from physical interactions of radiation to effects on patients are included;
  • Integration of advances in immuno-oncology and new drugs as well as the development of personalized approaches in radio-oncology by integrating molecular imaging, biomarkers in innovative clinical trials;
  • Development of artificial intelligence to enrich or replace multi-scale and multi-parametric models and bring to a higher level the personalization of diagnostic and treatment protocols. The integration of AI will enable faster and more personalized patient management, accelerating the radiation therapy workflow, such as automatic planning and dose calculation;
  • Development of models to move from a “one dose” concept to personalized treatment regimens and individualized prescriptions;
  • Development of a precision medicine approach to individualize patient care;
  • Inclusion of social aspects when necessary, such as ethical aspects (ethics of innovation and health care, nanotechnology, radiation), social acceptability of innovation, economic dimension.

Homepage