Nanocells Deliver Two Drugs at Once

Cancer researchers have devised a "nanocell” drug carrier that can with great specificity simultaneously deliver both an anti-angiogenesis agent and a chemotherapeutic drug to tumor cells. This approach was selected to counter two problems related to anti-angiogenesis treatment. Firstly, deprivation of oxygen causes the cancer cells to develop new pathways for promoting vascular growth. Secondly, lack of blood flow to the tumor prevents chemotherapeutic agents from reaching the cancer cells.

Investigators at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Cambridge, USA) embedded an anti-angiogenesis agent that prevents development of blood vessels into a lipid matrix. This lipid layer was then used to enclose the nanocell, which was loaded with an anti-cancer drug. They reasoned that the outer envelope would first release its anti-angiogenesis agent, causing a vascular shutdown. The inner nanoparticle, which would now be trapped inside the tumor, would release its toxic load to kill the tumor.
In a study published in the July 28, 2005, issue of Nature, the researchers reported that out of a population of mice with terminal cancers, 80% percent of those treated with nanocells survived beyond 65 days, while mice treated with the best current therapy survived only 30 days. Untreated animals died after 20 days.

"This model enables us to rationally and systematically evaluate drug combinations and loading mechanisms,” said senior author Dr. Ram Sasisekharan, professor of biological engineering at MIT. "It is not going to stop here. We want to build on this concept.”




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Massachusetts Institute of Technology