Fluorescent pH-sensitive nano-sized systems for intracellular melanoma monitoring
Project code: PN-III-P1-1.1-TE-2019-1276
Contract No.: TE 80/ 01.09.2020
Project title: Fluorescent pH-sensitive nano-sized systems for intracellular melanoma monitoring
Project Acronym: NanoAnSys
Buget: 431.900 RON (~90.000€ )
Financing: Romanian National Authority for Scientific Research, UEFISCDI
Program from PNIII: P1 - The development of national CD system
Subprogram: Human Resources, Research Projects for Young Independent Teams
Period: September 2020 - August 2022
Institution: University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Cluj-Napoca
Project Leader: Assoc. Prof.dr.Rugină Dumitrița, dumitrita.rugina@usamvcluj.ro
Summary
The World Health Organization warns that the incidence of skin cancers has been increased over the past decades. This warning forced the scientists to develop new strategies for melanoma therapy. In this context, our goal is to obtain pH-sensitive nanosystems to carry anthocyanins (AnSys) directly into melanoma cells, where their delivery, subcellular localization and their pH-controlled release will be monitored. For this purpose the main objectives are: (i) to design and develop the smart fluorescent pH-sensitive nanosystem as carrier for anthocyanins; (ii) to evaluate the efficient release of the entrapped anthocyanins under specific pH conditions, by liquid cromatography coupled with mass spectrometry; (iii) to monitor the pH-dependent intracellular processes after the AnSys internalization into melanoma cells, by using non-invasive high-performance fluorescence microscopy techniques. Therefore, the current proposal is highly scored in novelty-seeking, because there is no data available on a similar pH responsive nanocarrier system, able to facilitate the controlled release of anthocyanins in melanoma tumor cells.