An iron chelator called Dp44mT (Di-2-pyridylketone-4, 4-dimethyl-3-thiosemicarbazone) is an effective medication that is well-known to suppress tumor progression but had not been used to treat brain tumors before this study. The chelator starves cancer cells by removing excess iron.
Majd used clues from the tumors themselves to develop a Dp44mT-loaded nano-carrier to which glioma tumors would be attracted since the tumors present several IL13 (Interleukin) receptors. Since the IL13 receptors are plentiful, Majd added IL13 ligands to her FDA-approved biodegradable polymer carrier (incorporating the Dp44mT) so the receptors would attract the ligands, receiving the medicine.
Before using this new carrier, the Dp44mT drug would be administered but could reach any place within the body, even those where it is not meant to go.
It’s like an envelope with no address on it. It can land anywhere, and with toxins inside it could kill anything. Now, with our targeted delivery, we put an address on the package and it goes directly to the cancer cells.
Sheereen Majd, Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering, University of Houston
Moreover, aggressive brain tumors tend to develop higher multidrug resistance, which makes them almost impenetrable for common chemotherapeutics such as doxorubicin or temozolomide.
There is, hence, an urgent need for more effective therapeutic formulations with the ability to overcome drug resistance in aggressive glioma tumors and to kill these malignant cells without damaging the healthy tissues.
Sheereen Majd, Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering, University of Houston
The research by Majd, which involved testing the nano-therapeutic both in vivo and in vitro, is the first one to report on targeted delivery of Dp44mT to malignant tumors.
Journal Reference:
Kang, Y. J., et al. (2021) Biodegradable Nanoparticles: Tumor Targeted Delivery of an Anti‐Cancer Therapeutic: An In Vitro and In Vivo Evaluation. Advanced Healthcare Materials. doi.org/10.1002/adhm.202170007.