Nanoplatform tech to reverse drug-resistant effects

nanoplatform

A team of researchers from Wayne State University have designed a nanoplatform technology that with the current chemotherapeutic drugs can reverse drug-resistance in renal cell carcinoma, something that becomes a clinical and financial burden.

It can be caused due to hypoxia, with decreased level of oxygen in tumour cells and infiltration of tumour-promoting immune cells helping the tumour growth instead of fighting against it.

To attenuate the drug resistance, the researchers led by Arun Iyer, Ph.D., assistant professor of pharmaceutical sciences in the Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences at Wayne State University, decided to find a way to use tumour-directed nanoparticles that can attack the root cause of the problem.

“Our tumour hypoxia directed nanoparticle used in conjunction with the FDA-approved renal cell carcinoma treatment, Sorafenib, has had positive outcomes in our animal trials,” said Iyer. “The nanoparticles can deliver the payload selectively to tumour tissue and penetrate deep into the tumour core and provoke significant tumour inhibition with marked safety.”

The results published on Biomaterials showed that the team achieved great benefits from their targeted approach.

“This hypoxia targeting nanoparticles is not only effective in inhibiting tumour-promoting immune cells but also enhancing function of tumour-killing immune cells,” said Samaresh Sau, Ph.D., research associate in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences in the Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. “Another important aspect of the nanoparticle is that it can precisely diagnose renal tumours non-invasively that can be utilized for tumour detection, staging and surgery in the clinical setting.”

The researchers stated that the technology is cheap as it repurposes existing drugs to function better and also has reduced side-effects of chemotherapy treatment as it is a targeted approach. The new tool also shows potential to treat other cancers that have turned drug-resistant to current therapies.

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“This new approach of using our nanoplatform will reopen doors that were once closed because drugs that had become ineffective to cancer treatment are now once again usable and effective,” said Iyer. “It is our hope that this research will one day soon be used in clinics for treating patients.”