DIPARTIMENTO DI CHIMICA, MATERIALI E INGEGNERIA CHIMICA "GIULIO NATTA"

ERC Advanced Grant 2021 | Manuela Raimondi

Posted on  4/27/2022

Manuela Teresa Raimondi, Department of Chemistry, Materials and Chemical Engineering “Giulio Natta”, has received 2021 ERC Advanced Grants - awarded by the European Research Council (ERC) for established researchers in their field to carry out innovative and high-risk projects - with the BEACONSANDEGG project. 

BEACONSANDEGG (Mechanobiology of cancer progression), a project that combines mechanobiology with bioengineering, oncology, genetics, microtechnology, biophysics and pharmacology in order to develop an innovative platform capable of recapitulating tumour fibrosis by exploiting the vascularisation of a living organism.

In breast cancer, aggressiveness is related to fibrotic stiffening of the tumour tissue. Fibrosis progressively prevents drugs from reaching the tumour cells, due to the formation of a matrix with mechanical properties that stabilise the tumour's vascular network. However, the hierarchy and stability of the tumour vascular network are not reproducible in vitro. The BEACONSANDEGG research will model microtumours at various levels of fibrosis. Human breast cancer cells adhered to 3D polymeric microplates will be used. The microtumours will be implanted in vivo in the respiratory membrane of embryonated avian eggs in order to elicit a fibrotic foreign body reaction in the microtumours. The geometry of the 3D microsupports will be manipulated to condition the infiltration of the microtumours by the vessels and cells of the embryo. This study model will be validated with anticancer drugs whose clinical outcome is known to depend on the level of tumour fibrosis. This project will also provide a standardised and ethical platform to promote the clinical translation of new therapeutic products in oncology.

>  Press release

Release: 

Dal Consiglio Europeo della Ricerca 624 milioni a 253 ricercatori
Ansa.it - 26 Aprile 2022

Ricerca, Politecnico di Milano vince due Erc Advanced Grant
Askanews.it - 26 Aprile 2022

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