Two-in-one: Combined nanocarrier based targeted chemo and gene therapy
1. Cellular penetration of naked siRNA (green) and siRNA delivered by nanocarrier (red), 2. Treatment of mice bearing metastatic ovarian cancer. a. Mice bearing xenografts of human metastatic cancer and histology of tumor tissue (before treatment), b. Mice bearing xenografts of human metastatic cancer and histology of tumor tissue (after treatment).
Invention Summary:
Rutgers scientists have developed an ovarian tumor-targeted therapeutic delivery system that utilizes a nanocarrier delivery vehicle such as liposome or dendrimer to deliver a combination of chemotherapeutic agents, siRNA sequence (as an inhibitor of cellular drug resistance) and a cancer targeting ligand like Luteinizing hormone releasing hormone (LHRH). This “multi-prong” attack strategy using both gene therapy and chemotherapy could potentially reduce/ prevent drug resistance, growth of metastases, and adverse side effects of chemotherapy, which are the major causes of treatment failure in ovarian and some other types of cancers.
The tumor-targeted delivery system was tested in a patient derived tumor xenograft model of human ovarian cancer with intraperitoneal metastases and ascites. The treatment not only led to substantial regression of primary tumors, but also prevented the further development of intraperitoneal metastases and limited adverse side effects of chemotherapy on healthy tissues.
Market Application:
- Therapeutic Oncology
- Gene Therapy
- Tumor Targeting
- Nanocarriers
- Chemotherapy
Advantages:
- Highly target-specific drug delivery
- Reduced adverse side effects
- Prevents drug resistance
Intellectual Property & Development Status:
Issued United States Patent (US 9,289,505) available for licensing and/or research collaboration.
