Nanoparticle-Ligand Complex Targets Melanoma Cells

A ligand that binds specifically to a receptor on the surface of melanoma cells may be the basis for a new chemotherapeutic approach to treat this deadly type of skin cancer.

Investigators at the Moffitt Cancer Center (Tampa, FL, USA) have focused their attention on the MC1R receptor, which is highly expressed on the surface of melanomas. In the current study, they attached a specific MC1R ligand to a nanoparticle “delivery vehicle” and determined whether this attachment would impair the ability of MC1R and the ligand to bind.

Results reported in the October 19, 2011, online edition of the Journal of Medicinal Chemistry revealed that the chosen ligand remained selective after attachment to the nanoparticle and that the increased binding affinity of the ligand to MC1R demonstrated the stability of the system.

The nanoparticle-ligand complex will be tested as a vehicle for targeted delivery of chemotherapeutic agents to melanoma cells.

“Melanoma progression is associated with altered expression of cell surface proteins, including adhesion proteins and receptors,” said contributing author Dr. David L. Morse, assistant member for experimental therapeutics and diagnostic imaging at the Moffitt Cancer Center. “Eighty percent of malignant melanomas express high levels of the MC1R receptor, one of a family of five receptors.”

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Moffitt Cancer Center