The research group of Dendrimers for Biomedical Applications (BIOINDEN), led by the professors Francisco Javier de la Mata and Rafael Gómez, develops its activities in the Department of Organic and Inorganic Chemistry at the University of Alcalá. BIOINDEN is a group specialised in the preparation of dendritic systems with nanoscopic size for application in different biomedical processes, including their use as carriers of nucleic acids for cancer treatment, drug delivery or their own therapeutic properties as antiviral or antibacterial agents.
In cancer therapy, nanoparticles display unique properties not shown by any other material, especially due to their high surface/volume ratio. They present an easily tunable surface and multiple groups that allow the binding of a large number of molecules and thus enhance their effects. In particular, dendritic systems have a high multifunctionality due to their multiple branches and controlled synthesis.
In IMMUNOTHERCAN project, it will be evaluated if the presentation of tumor neoantigens by DC1 cells provides more potent antitumor responses than traditional DC derived from monocytes. In order to do this, BIOINDEN group will provide different dendritic nanosystems which enable a specific delivery of antigens to target DC1 cells. Several carbosilane nanosystems with different topology will be used, including spherical ones (dendrimers), wedges (dendrons) or nanostructured systems (gold and magnetic nanoparticles functionalized with dendritic molecules). Overall, we aim to accomplish a nanosystem which is:
- multivalent (with multiple functional groups on its surface),
- heterofuncional (capable of binding different molecules, such as fluorophores, peptides, antibodies, antigens, and drugs, which allow monitoring, directionality and therapy in a single system),
- water-soluble, and
- biocompatible.
Selected publications:
- M Maroto-Diaz, N Sanz del Olmo, L Muñoz-Moreno, AM Bajo, MJ Carmena, R Gómez, S García-Gallego, FJ de la Mata. In vitro and in vivo evaluation of carbosilane Ru(II)-metallodendrimers in advanced prostate cancer. Enviado a Nanomedicine, 2018.
- T Lozano-Cruz, R Gómez, FJ de la Mata, P Ortega. New bow-tie cationic carbosilane dendritic system with a curcumin core as an anti- breast cancer agent. New J Chem. 2018: 42: 11732-11738.
- CE Peña-González, E Pedziwiatr-Werbicka, T Martín-Pérez, EM Szewczyk, JL Copa-Patiño, J Soliveri, J Pérez-Serrano, R Gómez, M Bryszewska, J Sánchez-Nieves, FJ de la Mata. Antibacterial and antifungal properties of dendronized silver and gold nanoparticles with cationic carbosilane dendrons. Int J Pharm. 2017 Aug; 528(1-2): 55-61.
