Conventional cancer therapies involve the systemic delivery of
anticancer agents that neither discriminate between cancer and normal
cells nor eliminate the risk of cancer recurrence. Here, we demonstrate
that the combination of gene, drug and phototherapy delivered through a
prophylactic hydrogel patch leads, in a colon cancer mouse model, to
complete tumour remission when applied to non-resected tumours and to
the absence of tumour recurrence when applied following tumour
resection. The adhesive hydrogel patch enhanced the stability and
provided local delivery of embedded nanoparticles. Spherical gold
nanoparticles were used as a first wave of treatment to deliver siRNAs
against Kras, a key oncogene driver, and rod-shaped gold
nanoparticles mediated the conversion of near-infrared radiation into
heat, causing the release of a chemotherapeutic as well as thermally
induced cell damage. This local, triple-combination therapy can be
adapted to other cancer cell types and to molecular targets associated
with disease progression.
Local triple-combination therapy results in tumour regression and prevents recurrence in a colon cancer model (Conde et al. Nature Materials 2016)
Profiling a Prophylactic Local Triple Therapy Hydrogel Patch to Treat and Prevent Cancer Recurrence
Published
Marie Curie Early-Stage Career Fellow, MIT
Cancer Nanotechnology
