Arthur Talpe

Despite significant advances in cancer therapy over the past decades, cancer remains the number one cause of death worldwide. In the last years there has been increasing interest in the development of new treatment modalities with reduced side effects for difficult-to-cure cancers. A prominent example is Photothermal Therapy (PTT), designed to selectively kill cancerous tissue in the body through localized, light-induced thermal stress. The development of nanomaterials marks a significant step forward in photothermal therapy of cancers. Nanomaterials smaller than 200 nm accumulate in the tumour tissue and exhibit strong absorption in the near-infrared range, making them effective photothermal transducers with cancer-targeting capabilities. Nanomaterial-mediated PTT has reached clinical trials but knowledge concerning the efficiency, mechanism and toxicity of this therapy remains limited. This project aims to unravel the mechanisms involved in nanomaterial-mediated PTT, using microscopy to monitor intracellular temperature and cell death pathways simultaneously. To mimic the physiological features present in solid tumors most accurately, advanced 3D cell models will be used.