NSF Award
1264214
This project builds on prior studies that were designed and conducted by researchers to significantly reduce or remove key limitations to most current cancer treatment processes. A crucial limitation has been that most current therapies cannot effectively restrict drugs to tumor cells. The drug delivery system designed through this work may accomplish a selective targeting and delivery of anticancer drugs to solid tumors. This targeted delivery, achieved via a thermally responsive, biopolymer, elastin-like polypeptide (ELP) of a pre-determined molecular weight, can facilitate drug aggregation in tumors exposed to an externally applied, clinically utilized heat source. The proposed biopolymer carrier can exploit the passive targeting properties of macromolecular carriers and the Enhanced Permeability and Retention effect, along with active targeting properties that make use of heat at the tumor site. Through this cell penetrating peptide?s mediation, an efficient, intracellular delivery of chemotherapeutics to the tumor can be achieved. Researchers have applied this approach in the lab within several experimental cancer models to confirm its potential for clinical use as a human therapeutic. <br/><br/>Cancer, a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, has been difficult to treat through therapies targeted at specific tumor sites. A tremendous need exist for therapeutic approaches that both increase treatment specificity and efficacy within tumors and reduce cytotoxicity in healthy tissues. This proposed tumor-targeting drug delivery system uses a biopolymer ELP in tandem with hyperthermia techniques to augment standard-of-care by selectively inducing intra-tumoral accumulation of a broad range of anti-cancer therapeutics. This treatment methodology may allow doctors to administer chemotherapeutics at doses sufficient for tumor reduction without also harming healthy tissue, thereby enormously impacting treatment success. Moreover, this therapy, although new, is cost-effective: it can be readily integrated into systemic therapies and harnesses hyperthermia and standard-of-care techniques already common in cancer clinics. Successful completion of this project and its clinical translation may lead to greater health and cost effectiveness in cancer treatment.
