IN-PERSON EVENT - REGISTER HERE to attend

By Dr Chiara Bastiancich - Institut de Neurophysiopathologie, France

Abstract: Glioblastoma (GBM) remains incurable despite a multimodal treatment consisting in surgery, radiotherapy and oral chemotherapy with Temozolomide (Stupp protocol). Dr. Chiara Bastiancich’s current research focuses on dissecting the dynamic post-surgical microenvironment (SMe) to identify therapeutic targets and time windows for intervention. By combining advanced imaging, immunophenotyping, and localized nanomedicine-based drug delivery, her team has shown that transient blood-brain barrier disruption and pro-tumoral immune activation post-surgery contribute to recurrence. Her preclinical studies demonstrate that pairing local chemotherapy with systemic immunomodulation delays tumor regrowth and improves survival. This work paves the way for novel combinatory treatments that strategically exploit the SMe to prevent GBM relapse.

Main references
1. Bastiancich et al. Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews 177:113951 (2021)
2. Bianco*, Bastiancich* et al. J Neurosci Methods. 284:96-102 (2017)
3. Bastiancich et al. J Control Release 264:45-54 (2017)
4. Bastiancich et al. Nanomedicine (Lond) 13(16):1999-2013 (2018)
5. Wang et al. Drug Deliv Transl Res 14(12):3322-3338 (2024)
6. Bastiancich et al. J Exp Clin Cancer Res 43(1):311 (2024)

Short Bio: Dr Chiara Bastiancich (PharmD/PhD/HDR) is a tenured CNRS research fellow at the Institute of NeuroPhysiopathology (INP, Marseille) in the Gliomagenesis & MicroEnvironment (GlioME) group. She holds a PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences from UCLouvain (Belgium) and the University of Angers (France). Her multidisciplinary expertise spans pharmaceutical technology, neuro-oncology, and immunology, with a strong focus on translational research for malignant brain tumors. She has authored over 30 peer-reviewed publications and leads collaborative projects across Europe. Her research bridges nanomedicine and tumor biology, aiming to develop innovative, localized therapies for glioblastoma (GBM), an aggressive brain tumor with high recurrence rates. Chiara has contributed by developing chemotherapeutic hydrogels to be injected into the post-surgical cavity to prolong survival in clinically relevant murine models. Her current work investigates how surgery reshapes the brain microenvironment and triggers immune responses that contribute to the onset of recurrence. By combining local drug delivery with systemic immunomodulation, she develops rational, time-sensitive therapeutic strategies to delay relapse.

Hosted by ICREA Prof. Kostas Kostaleros, Nanomedicine Lab Leader.