Scientists at Research Institute for Health Science and Technologies (SABITA) developed a multifunctional nanoplatform to be used in diagnosis and treatment of cancer.
Success of the cancer treatment highly depends on the stage of the disease at the time of diagnosis. For instance, small size of micro tumors (< 1 cm) make diagnosis extremely challenging at the early stages of the disease. Besides, these invisible and/or drug-resistant micro tumors lead metastasis and reduce the life quality of the patient receiving traditional cancer treatments. Therefore, nanocarrier systems which detect and treat chemo-resistant micro tumors must be developed to prevent metastasis and/or recurrence of cancer. The system that offers diagnosis and treatment together are called theranostic. Theranostic systems are advantageous since they eliminate the side effects of traditional treatment methods. Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and FDA approved drug called Verteporfin draw attention as intrinsic theranostic agents due to their superior physical, biological and optical properties.
“It is crucial to develop new generation nanocarriers for early detection and treatment of micro tumors. Theranostic nanosystems are promising tools for future applications not only for cancer but also for many other pathological conditions. Our aim is to make imperceptible tumors visible to clinicians” said S. Sibel Erdem, Associate. Professor in the International School of Medicine, Department of Medical Biochemistry and a principal investigator on the study.
In this study, Assoc. Prof. S. Sibel Erdem and her research team employed AuNPs (for CT imaging and hyperthermia), Verteporfin (fluorescence imaging and photodynamic therapy agent) and D-α-Tocopherol succinate (for enhanced cellular uptake) to construct a fluorescent-based “off-on” multi-functional theranostic system. “Off-on” system is only visible and toxic when it is activated in cancer cells. Researchers developed a fluorescent-based theranostic agent which is selectively activated (“on”) in tumor region and is stayed in the inactive form (“off”) in healthy tissues. When the system’s “off-on” ability was tested in vitro, it was observed that 51% of the fluorescence was recovered as the system switched from “off” to “on” state. The results also showed that the phototoxicity of Verteporfin was doubled following the immobilization of it with surface modified AuNPs. Further modification of the system with lipophilic D-α-Tocopherol succinate enhanced the anti-tumor efficacy by causing four times more phototoxicity compared to Verteporfin alone.
Since the developed nanoplatform is capable of dual imaging (computed tomography and fluorescence) and dual treatment (PDT and hyperthermia), it offers superior imaging and combination therapy options for various types of fluorescent-based biological and biomedical applications. As a continuation of this work, Assoc. Prof. S. Sibel Erdem and her research team are working on the advancement of the system by incorporation of specific ligands and biomolecules to the developed nanoplatorm.