Precision Oncology and Biomimetic Nanomedicine

Active targeting by surface-modified nanoplatforms enables a more precise and elevated accumulation of nanoparticles within the tumor, thereby enhancing drug delivery and efficacy for a successful cancer treatment. However, surface functionalization involves complex procedures that increase costs and timelines, presenting challenges for clinical implementation. Biomimetic nanoparticles, coated with cell-derived membranes, have emerged as unique drug delivery platforms that overcome the limitations of actively targeted nanoplatforms. Our group is focused on the development of immune-driven biomimetic nanoparticles that mimic pathways linked to the cancer patient´s immune system to specifically and effectively deliver antitumor treatments (not only the conventional ones but also those derived from our investigations) and boost immunotherapy.

In the era of precision oncology, by studying genomics in cancer patients we will define novel prognostic and predictive biomarkers linked to cancer stem cells, metastasis, recurrence, and treatment resistance. We will continue our investigations to deepen the role of ATF4 and NDRG1 as biomarkers of tumor progression in triple-negative breast cancer as molecular targets involved in cancer stem cells, metastasis, and tumor recurrence. Based on our previous studies, we develop novel therapeutic approaches to target ATF4 and NDRG1 by drug repositioning or CRISPR/Cas9. Additionally, we pursue finding alternative therapies based on compounds of natural origin such as hydroxytyrosol from olive oil or β- lapachone from lapacho tree.

To fully address a personalized anticancer strategy, we develop cancer patientderived organoids (PDOs) and xenografts (PDXs) as models to validate our investigations and better understand the individual specificities (at pathologic and genomic levels) of each patient.