Radiolabelled exosomes: a nanotheranostic tool for lung micrometastases in osteosarcoma

Overview

Project Summary

The project focuses on the development of an innovative theranostic tool to combat lung micrometastases in osteosarcoma, which is an aggressive bone tumour that affects children and adolescents. Osteosarcoma is highly prone to pulmonary metastisation and is the leading cause of death due to the limited effectiveness of conventional therapies. The tool we intend to implement uses exosomes, vehicles derived from metastatic cells, labelled with a radioactive metal (copper-64) for diagnosis by positron emission tomography (PET). A high-sensitivity PET scanner is used to track micrometastases in animal models. The project aims to exploit radionuclide-functionalized exosomes (such as Lutetium-177) for therapy, representing a potential effective therapeutic option for micrometastases. The research includes the molecular characterisation of exosomes from patients with osteosarcoma, looking for a molecular signature predictive of the risk of metastatic disease.

Main Goals

The main aim of the study is to use exosomes derived from metastatic cells that will be labelled with copper-64, a positron-emitting radioactive metal, to enable the diagnosis of micrometastases using positron emission tomography (PET) in mice, which serve as an animal model. The development of this animal model is aimed at reproducing the different phases of the evolution of metastatic disease, from the preparation of the pre-metastatic niche in the lung to the formation of micrometastases. The study thus aims to evaluate the effectiveness of diagnosing micrometastases using labelled exosomes, providing crucial information on the clinical applicability of this approach.

Project Details