NEOSETAC · New Selenium-based Targeted Nanocapsules to treat Breast Cancer

The European Chronic Diseases Alliance has defined cancer as one of the major non-communicable diseases, accountingfor 13% of the deaths worldwide, resulting in 8.2 million deaths annually. In the NEOSETAC project, breast cancer will be thefocus of study being the most common cancers in women. It comprises of 10.4% of all the cancer incidences among women,causing 411 093 deaths per year overall the world. In Europe, there is more than twice of the amount of new breast cancercases annually than new cases of cancer in any other place. The complexity of breast cancer makes it a big challenge forsuccessful treatment. The NEOSETAC project will demonstrate the anti-cancer therapeutic potential of a novel Seleniumbasedtherapy for the management of breast cancer. The clinical application of Selenium (Se) compounds for cancertreatment is until now limited in chemoprevention as dietary supplement. In this proposal, we aim to improve the therapeuticwindow, pharmacokinetic properties and targeting drug delivery via nanoparticles (NPs). By loading Se into biodegradableNPs, drug release is controlled within the narrow therapeutic window of Se. At the same time the uptake and activation of Secompounds at desired location (tumor lesions and metastasis) is achieved. We also propose to functionalize NPs by cancercell / cancer stem cell targeting ligands to further improve the therapeutic efficacy and prevent cancer recurrence afterchemotherapy. These advantages will lead to an enhanced anticancer activity and reduced systemic toxicity. Moreover,targeting via NPs will improve the pharmacokinetic properties and increase the relatively short half-life (~18 hours) of Se.