We design compounds that both reveal and treat tumours: they light up to guide the surgeon, light up in nuclear imaging, and can be activated at a distance by light or neutrons.
Seeing the tumour in surgery
Near-infrared fluorescence is increasingly used to guide the surgeon in real time. We work with chemists in Nantes, Dijon and Strasbourg on water-soluble, biocompatible and cell-specific probes of the aza-BODIPY family, which emit in the second near-infrared window (1000 to 1700 nm) and give high-contrast in vivo images.
- A patented family of far-infrared fluorophores for image-guided surgery, matured with the SATT Linksium.
- Bimodal probes combining optical imaging with nuclear imaging (PET or SPECT), obtained by replacing boron with metals such as gallium, zirconium or copper, whose isotopes are used in nuclear medicine.
- Application first to head and neck cancers.
Better tumour control
- Imaging and therapy in one molecule. Probes designed for both fluorescence imaging and photodynamic therapy.
- Interaction with lipoproteins. We study how the fluorophores interact with low-density lipoprotein in the blood (cryo-electron tomography, SAXS) to optimise their fluorescence and distribution.
- Toward the clinic. Proof of concept in large animals with the Oniris veterinary school.
Boron neutron capture therapy
Boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) is a targeted, local radiotherapy: boron-10 atoms accumulated in the tumour capture low-energy neutrons and release short-range particles that destroy the cell and spare its neighbours.
We conceive and test boron-containing compounds and their formulations with national and European partners, and we focus on:
- Boron accumulation in the tumour, to optimise it.
- Dose calculation, from the distribution of boron measured by cryo-nano-XRF and LIBS imaging.
- Mechanism of action: DNA damage, bystander and abscopal effects.
What comes next
The team’s methods, cryo-XRF, cryo-electron tomography and SAXS, are now used to characterise and improve new compounds, with a view to patents and to transfer to industry and the clinic.