Research Projects

Breast cancer is the most common cancer, causing 0.68 billion deaths annually. A proposal aims to develop an effective treatment method using photothermal therapy (PTT) based on metallic nanoclusters (MNCs) that absorb and emit in the near infrared region. The NIR-based optical properties of MNCs will allow for high photoconversion efficiency, excellent biocompatibility, and robust photostability. Their small size ensures easy renal clearance post-effect. The NIR-based emission of PTAs will be used for in vivo bioimaging, eliminating the use of cytotoxic organic fluorophores. MNCs have proven effective photosensitizers due to their molecular type optoelectronics properties. Combining these with photothermal therapy will enhance the treatment's therapeutic efficacy. The selectivity of PTAs will be enhanced by conjugating them with tumor-targeting peptides to reduce the adverse effect of laser on healthy tissue. The anticancer efficacy of the developed nanosystem will be evaluated in vitro, including cytotoxicity, photothermal transduction efficacy, and photodynamic efficacy. The nanosystem's ability to suppress cancer cell regrowth will be studied using colonogenic assay, antimigratory effect by scratch assay, and anti-metastasis effect in a xenograft-based lung metastasis model. In vivo bioimaging will be conducted to evaluate the nanosystem's passive targeting of tumor sites using enhanced permeation and retention (EPR) effect. The proposed nanotherapeutic agents will lead to safer cancer treatment than chemotherapy and surgery, with the potential to be commercialized for all forms of cancer.