Nanoparticle-based strategies in Oncology Prof. Jean-Pierre BenoitNanomedicine, an emerging new field created by the fusion of nanotechnology and medicine, is one of the most promising pathways for the development of effective targeted therapies with Oncology being the earlier and the most notable beneficiary to date. Indeed, drug-loaded nanosystems provide an ideal solution to overcome the low selectivity of the anticancer drugs towards the cancer cells in regards to normal cells and the induced severe side effects. Nanoparticle and liposome-based systems encapsulating drugs are already used in some cancer therapies. Most of them accumulate in tumors according to the enhanced permeability and retention effect (EPR) that affects both the blood and lymphatic vessels. Unfortunately, many aggressive tumors are poorly vascularized what represents a severe limitation for these nanomedicines. Other avenues must be explored to optimize their action.In this context, we have developed new bio-inspired nanocarriers, the lipid nanocapsules, that mimic the lipoproteins, with a size range of 20-100 nm.Their biodistribution reveals interesting features. For instance, they interact with a specific subset of immune cells, the myeloid-derived suppressive cells (MDSCs), that play a significant role in promoting tumor growth. The targeting of these cells could be relevant to change the immune status of a tumor, favoring the action of the cytotoxic immune cells. Another strategy that allows to bypass the EPR effect in poorly vascularized cancers is the local administration of nanocarriers, directly in the tumor. In situradiotherapy of glioma has been performed with radioactive lipid nanocapsules with promising results in terms of survival.