A team of researchers at NYU (New York University) Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) has made a significant breakthrough in light-based cancer therapeutics.
The unique nanoplatform combines tumour detection and monitoring that can dramatically increase the efficacy of existing light-based approaches.
NYUAD noted light-based therapies are non-invasive, photodynamic therapy (PDT) and photothermal therapy (PTT) that have the potential to be safe and effective alternatives to conventional cancer treatments,
“To date, however, the development of effective light-based technologies for cancer has been hindered by poor solubility, low stability, and lack of tumor specificity, among other challenges. Nanocarriers designed to deliver PDT and PTT more effectively have also proven to have significant limitations,” NYUAD added.
PDT and PTT utilise different approaches for attacking tumors. PDT uses laser irradiation to activate a photosensitiser to generate reactive oxygen species (ROS), a highly reactive chemical that is toxic to cancer cells. In PTT, a molecule called a photothermal agent converts absorbed light into heat, leading to the partial or complete destruction of tumour tissue.
NYUAD associate professor of biology Mazin Magzoub, whose lab focuses on developing novel therapeutics and drug delivery systems, underscored: “New therapeutic approaches are desperately needed to enhance the existing arsenal of cancer-fighting treatments.”
He explained: “The multifunctional core-shell nanospheres our team has developed help to overcome issues that have limited the efficacy of key light-based therapies, offering a promising tumour-targeting nanoplatform that facilitates multimodal diagnostic imaging and potent combinatorial cancer therapy.
“This work opens up an exciting path forward for the advancement of light-based cancer treatments,” he underscored.
In the paper titled pH-Responsive Upconversion Mesoporous Silica Nanospheres for Combined Multimodal Diagnostic Imaging and Targeted Photodynamic and Photothermal Cancer Therapy, published in the journal ACS Nano, the NYUAD research team presents the development of multi-functional, tumor-targeting nanospheres that protect encapsulated photosensitisers and photothermal agents from degradation so the molecules can be delivered directly to cancer cells.
This also improves the efficacy of both phototherapies to shrink tumors with no detectable systemic toxicity.
© Khaleej Times
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