The University of Milano-Bicocca continues to stand out in the international research landscape: among the five projects funded by the Italian Science Fund (FIS3), the BRAVE project led by Miriam Colombo represents a major achievement in the field of nanotechnology applied to oncology.
BRAVE (Biomimetic Responsive Antigen-Delivery Vehicles for Therapeutic and Preventive Vaccines against Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Associated with Evolutionary BRCA Mutations) is a highly innovative project aimed at developing a therapeutic and potentially preventive vaccine against triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), including inherited BRCA-mutated forms.
This ambitious five-year project seeks to revolutionize both the treatment and prevention of TNBC through the development of advanced biomimetic nanoparticles. The strategy relies on ionizable lipid nanoparticles (LNPs), similar to those used in mRNA Covid-19 vaccines, combined with biological membranes derived from primary TNBC tumors.
The nanoparticles will be produced using microfluidic technology and subsequently coated with tumor cell membranes through an innovative platform developed in Miriam Colombo’s laboratory for the synthesis of biomimetic lipid-based hybrid nanoparticles (BLNPs). This approach will enable the creation of highly sophisticated antigen-delivery systems designed to trigger a targeted immune response against cancer cells.
The ultimate goal of the project is twofold: on one hand, to provide new therapeutic opportunities for post-operative patients who develop TNBC, and on the other, to pave the way for preventive strategies for genetically predisposed individuals, including descendants carrying inherited BRCA mutations.
The funding awarded through the FIS3 program confirms the scientific excellence of the NanoBioLab group and further strengthens the role of interdisciplinary research in advancing next-generation personalized immunotherapies based on biomimetic nanotechnologies.
