Research
Optimizing Supply Chains Through High-Dimensional Statistics
on September 28, 2024
Research
Published on October 24, 2024– Updated on October 24, 2024
Synthesizing molecules to detect and visualize cancer
Chiara Zanato, teacher-researcher and professor at CY Cergy Paris University, is one of the winners of the Emergence Programme for her project on cancer detection and visualization.
CY Initiative: Could you introduce yourself and tell us more about your career and your main research themes?
Chiara Zanato: I studied in Italy at the University of Milan until I obtained my PhD in 2010. I then moved to Scotland for 6 years before joining CY Cergy Paris University in 2018 for a post-doctoral project. In 2020, I became a lecturer in the BioCIS laboratory in the chemistry-biology team. In the laboratory, we work on the design of molecules of interest to biology and other sciences. We focus on molecules with health applications.
My research work is therefore linked to this subject. Initially, I'm working on the development of molecules that will break down proteins in the body. These are proteins which, when they are very numerous and very active, can cause or contribute to the development of cancer. With this degradation, we're trying to stop the development of cancer and develop anti-cancer therapies. I'm also working on molecules that will render proteins inactive, again to prevent the development of cancer.
CY Initiative: You won the CY Initiative's 2023 call for proposals. What does this project involve, and what is its objective?
Chiara Zanato: The project we have submitted, called RADIOCAT, focuses on cancer detection. It involves developing molecules that will allow cancer to be visualized in the body. Thanks to this call for proposals and CY Initiative, I really started working on this project. We've already seen the first results.
In concrete terms, we're going to develop molecules which, once in the body, will “position” themselves on a protein overexpressed in cancer. We're particularly interested in triple-negative breast cancer. We will attach a radioactive fluorine atom to this molecule. Once the molecule is injected into the body, it will “position” itself on the target protein, and the radioactive fluorine will emit positrons which will be detected by a detector. In this way, we'll be able to identify the precise location of the cancer. It's as if we could put small tracers on cancer cells to visualize them. This imaging technique is called PET (positron emission tomography).
CY Initiative: In concrete terms, how will the project be rolled out?
Chiara Zanato: We began the project in November 2023. A Master's student joined us in January 2024, and we plan to welcome another next year. We have already synthesized the first molecules with non-radioactive fluorine. Indeed, before testing these molecules with radioactive fluorine, we need to start synthesizing them with non-radioactive fluorine to see if the molecule “positions” itself well on the protein and optimize the synthesis. For the radioactive part, we will then work with the University of Aberdeen in Scotland, as they have a hospital with a PET (Positron Emission Tomography) center, where a radiochemist will assist us with tests involving radioactivity. Once we've synthesized the molecules, we'll move on to the biological evaluation phase.
The biological tests are scheduled to be conducted between September and October 2024. We will then have 2 options. The first option is that, if the incorporation of fluorine into the molecule causes it to lose its biological activity, we'll have to go back to the synthesis phase. Option two: if the activity is maintained with the fluorine, we'll select the most active and move on to the radioactive phase. This should happen in January 2025. We thus hope to publish the first preliminary data by the end of 2024 or early 2025.
CY Initiative: Why did you apply for this Call for proposals?
Chiara Zanato: Thanks to this call for projects and the Emergence program, we were able to get support for a preliminary project, which is a significant advantage. It's also a great opportunity to work with other universities and researchers, as we're going to do with our colleagues in Scotland. Emergence is a first step. If it goes well, we'll apply for ANR funding to develop the RADIOCAT project further.
Chiara Zanato: I studied in Italy at the University of Milan until I obtained my PhD in 2010. I then moved to Scotland for 6 years before joining CY Cergy Paris University in 2018 for a post-doctoral project. In 2020, I became a lecturer in the BioCIS laboratory in the chemistry-biology team. In the laboratory, we work on the design of molecules of interest to biology and other sciences. We focus on molecules with health applications.
My research work is therefore linked to this subject. Initially, I'm working on the development of molecules that will break down proteins in the body. These are proteins which, when they are very numerous and very active, can cause or contribute to the development of cancer. With this degradation, we're trying to stop the development of cancer and develop anti-cancer therapies. I'm also working on molecules that will render proteins inactive, again to prevent the development of cancer.
CY Initiative: You won the CY Initiative's 2023 call for proposals. What does this project involve, and what is its objective?
Chiara Zanato: The project we have submitted, called RADIOCAT, focuses on cancer detection. It involves developing molecules that will allow cancer to be visualized in the body. Thanks to this call for proposals and CY Initiative, I really started working on this project. We've already seen the first results.
In concrete terms, we're going to develop molecules which, once in the body, will “position” themselves on a protein overexpressed in cancer. We're particularly interested in triple-negative breast cancer. We will attach a radioactive fluorine atom to this molecule. Once the molecule is injected into the body, it will “position” itself on the target protein, and the radioactive fluorine will emit positrons which will be detected by a detector. In this way, we'll be able to identify the precise location of the cancer. It's as if we could put small tracers on cancer cells to visualize them. This imaging technique is called PET (positron emission tomography).
CY Initiative: In concrete terms, how will the project be rolled out?
Chiara Zanato: We began the project in November 2023. A Master's student joined us in January 2024, and we plan to welcome another next year. We have already synthesized the first molecules with non-radioactive fluorine. Indeed, before testing these molecules with radioactive fluorine, we need to start synthesizing them with non-radioactive fluorine to see if the molecule “positions” itself well on the protein and optimize the synthesis. For the radioactive part, we will then work with the University of Aberdeen in Scotland, as they have a hospital with a PET (Positron Emission Tomography) center, where a radiochemist will assist us with tests involving radioactivity. Once we've synthesized the molecules, we'll move on to the biological evaluation phase.
The biological tests are scheduled to be conducted between September and October 2024. We will then have 2 options. The first option is that, if the incorporation of fluorine into the molecule causes it to lose its biological activity, we'll have to go back to the synthesis phase. Option two: if the activity is maintained with the fluorine, we'll select the most active and move on to the radioactive phase. This should happen in January 2025. We thus hope to publish the first preliminary data by the end of 2024 or early 2025.
CY Initiative: Why did you apply for this Call for proposals?
Chiara Zanato: Thanks to this call for projects and the Emergence program, we were able to get support for a preliminary project, which is a significant advantage. It's also a great opportunity to work with other universities and researchers, as we're going to do with our colleagues in Scotland. Emergence is a first step. If it goes well, we'll apply for ANR funding to develop the RADIOCAT project further.
