Nanocarriers for new anti-cancer drugs

Problems of drug resistance and side-effects necessitate the search for new and more specific anti-cancer drugs, whether by chemical synthesis or by screening of natural products. This project aims to use nanosized drug delivery systems to ensure maximum therapeutic effect of anti-cancer drugs. We will benefit from two research groups who are leading in their respective fields: 1: The Translational Signalling group (TSG) at Dept. Biomedicine, Univ Bergen, working with leukaemia biology, drug targets and t heir effect on cancer cell signalling. 2: Institut Galien, Univ Paris-Sud (IGPS) who has worked with nanocarriers for decades, and is perhaps the leading institution in this field in Europe. Specifically, the groups will work to enhance the bioavailabilit y of drugs with poor pharmacokinetics due to poor solubility in aqueous media. This is mandatory to demonstrate clinical potential of drug candidates. Also, a novel liposomal formulation carrying inhibitors of hsp90, which induces cancer cell death, will be tested on a panel of cancer cell lines that can be transplanted into relevant rodent models of cancer. The project thus takes advantage of the sophisticated drug delivery systems developed at IPGS, and the expertise in cancer cell biology at TSG. By jo ining forces, we believe that we will come closer to new therapies against cancer.