Nanoparticles could be potentially utilized for treating an incurable cancer called multiple myeloma (MM) that develops in the plasma cells of bone marrow. This breakthrough discovery was made by a research team from the University of Notre Dame.
A sequence of images showing multiple myeloma cells internalizing the engineered nanoparticles
One of the major problems doctors face while treating MM is that myeloma cells tend to develop resistance to doxorubicin, a popular chemotherapeutic treatment, when they adhere to the bone marrow tissues.
Basar Bilgiçer, an investigator in Advanced Diagnostics and Therapeutics (AD&T) initiative of Notre Dame and also an assistant professor of chemistry and biochemistry and chemical and biomolecular engineering, said that the engineered nanoparticles can achieve many things at once. Firstly, the nanoparticles prevent the cancer cells from developing resistance to doxorubicin. Secondly, they make the cancer cells to actively take up the drug-loaded nanoparticles. Thirdly, they reduce the toxicity of the drug on healthy organs.
A unique peptide is used to coat the nanoparticles and this peptide targets a particular receptor outside the myeloma cells. These receptors enable the cells to stick to the tissues in bone marrow and activate the drug resistance mechanisms. The nanoparticles are capable of binding to the receptors with the help of the new peptide and thereby prevent the adherence of the cancer cells to the bone marrow.
The chemotherapeutic drug is carried by the nanoparticles. When a particle gets attached to a cancer cell, the cell instantly consumes the nanoparticle and releases the drug to break up the cancer cell’s DNA, leading to cell death.
Research assistant professor at AD&T and Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Tanyel Kiziltepe said that the results obtained from a mice experiment shows that the formulation of nanoparticle reduces the toxicity of doxorubicin on kidney and liver tissues. The team is hoping that further research would prove less harmful for the heart as well and may significantly bring down the side-effects of chemotherapy.
Jonathan Ashley, a leading researcher of the project, said that the research team had to tackle three major problems related to all nanoparticle-based therapies. The development of these nanoparticles included some intricate bioengineering work. The team was able to control the drug and targeting elements present on each nanoparticle, eliminated the batch-to-batch variability during the production of particle, and achieved homogeneous nanoparticle size distribution.
Ashley added that the team intends to conduct further research and testing of nanoparticles before progressing to human clinical trials to improve the nanoparticles’ design, and find optimum quantity and combination of chemotherapy drugs required for this new treatment.
Source: http://www.nd.edu/
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