As if being sick weren’t bad enough, there’s also the fear of frequent injections, side effects and overdosing on you medication.
Now a team of researchers from University of Copenhagen, Department of Chemistry, Nano-science center and the Institut Laue-Langevin (ILL), have shown that reservoirs of anti-viral pharmaceuticals could be manufactured to bind specifically to infected tissue such as cancer cells for the slow concentrated delivery of drug treatments. The new research is published in ACS Macro Letters.
Smaller doses, less injections and fewer side effects
The findings, from Dr Marité Cárdenas (Copenhagen) and Dr Richard Campbell and Dr Erik Watkins (ILL), came as a result of neutron reflectometry studies at the world’s leading neutron source in Grenoble, France. They could provide a way to reduce dosages and the frequency of injections administered to patients undergoing a wide variety of treatments, as well as minimising side effects of over-dosing.
Fats and branches hold medicine for longer
The attachment of reservoirs of therapeutic drugs to cell membranes for slow diffusion and continuous delivery inside the cells is a major aim in drug R&D. A promising candidate for packaging up and carrying such concoctions of drugs are a group of self-assembled liquid crystalline particles. Composed of fatty molecules known as phospholipids and tree-like macromolecules called dendrimers which have many branches, the particles form spontaneously and have the capacity to soak up and carry large quantities of drug molecules for prolonged diffusion. They are also known for their ability to bind to cellular membranes.
First treatment close to market
The first treatments using such particles are close to market through products incorporating a similar formulation called Cubosomes (cubic phase nanoparticles). Developed and commercialized by Swedish start-up Camarus Ab, its FluidCrystal® nanoparticles promise months of drug delivery from a single injection and the possibility of tuning the delivery to intervals of anything from daily to once monthly. However, a key requirement for optimal application of these formulations is a detailed understanding of how they interact with cellular membranes.
This was the focus of work involving a collaboration between Dr Marité Cárdenas (Copenhagen) and Dr Richard Campbell and Dr Erik Watkins (ILL). In this experiment the team used neutrons to analyse the interaction of the liquid crystalline particles with a model cellular membrane whilst varying two parameters:
- Gravity – to see how the interaction changed if the aggregates attacked the cell membrane from below as opposed to above
- Electrostatics – how the balance between the contrasting positive and negative charges of the aggregate and membrane affect the interaction
Detailed surface information with bouncing electrons
The team utilised a technique known as neutron reflectometry whereby beams of neutrons are skimmed off a surface and the reflectivity measured is used to infer detailed information about the surface, including the thickness, detailed structure and composition of any layers beneath. These experiments were carried out on the FIGARO instrument at the ILL in Grenoble which offers unique reflection up vs. down modes that allowed the team to examine the top and bottom surfaces, alternating the samples on a two hourly basis during a 30 hour sampling period.
Small changes to charge of molecules could have major effects
The interaction of the liquid crystalline particles with the membrane was shown to be driven by the charge on the mode cell wall. Subtle changes in the amount of negative charge on the membrane wall encouraged the tree-like dendrimer molecules to penetrate through allowing the rest of the molecule to bind to the surface, forming an attached reservoir. The sensitivity of the interaction to small changes in charge suggests that simple adjustments to the proportion of charged lipids and macromolecules could optimise this process. In the future this characteristic could also provide a mechanism to focus the treatment at targeted cells such as those infected by cancer which are thought to have a more negative charge density than healthy cells.
“Cancerous cells have an imbalance that gives them a different molecular composition and overall different physical properties to normal healthy cells”, explains Dr Cardenas. “Whilst all cells are negative, cancerous cells tend to be more negatively charged than healthy ones due to a different composition of fatty molecules on their surface. This is a property that we believe could be exploited in future research into delivery mechanisms involving the attachment of lamellar liquid crystalline particles. Our next step is to introduce the drug itself into the reservoirs and make sure it can move across the membrane. This work paves the way for cell tests and clinical trials in the future exploiting our methodology”
The Latest on: Cancer treatment
[google_news title=”” keyword=”Cancer treatment” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
via Google News
The Latest on: Cancer treatment
- ‘Peace and light’: Paternostro Cancer Foundation aims to help cancer patients feel seen, supportedon May 10, 2024 at 11:35 pm
When tragedy strikes, people have a choice between descending into despair or using their circumstances for the betterment of those around them. The latter is the path Krista Paternostro Bower and her ...
- Wheeling for Healing returns to South Deerfield to raise money for cancer treatmenton May 10, 2024 at 6:28 pm
After a successful move to Yankee Candle last year, the 17th annual Wheeling for Healing event is back on May 19, as the fundraiser seeks to continue raising tens of thousands of dollars for cancer ...
- Bristol Myers Squibb Cancer-Treatment Trial Misses Endpointon May 10, 2024 at 1:55 pm
Bristol Myers Squibb said its trial evaluating a combination of cancer treatments failed to meet its primary endpoint.
- Dogma-challenging telomere findings may offer new insights for cancer treatmentson May 10, 2024 at 11:39 am
A new study shows that an enzyme called PARP1 is involved in repair of telomeres, the lengths of DNA that protect the tips of chromosomes, and that impairing this process can lead to telomere ...
- Standard blood cancer treatment reveals positive results in those over 80, study findson May 10, 2024 at 1:11 am
The standard treatment for acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is safe and effective for adults over 80, a study published Thursday in Blood Neoplasia finds. The treatment can extend survival for about 25% ...
- Racial, ethnic differences seen in breast cancer treatment declinationon May 9, 2024 at 4:59 pm
For patients with breast cancer, there are racial and ethnic differences in treatment declination, according to a study published online May 9 in JAMA Network Open. Data were included from 2,837,446 ...
- The doctor behind the next big thing in cancer treatmenton May 9, 2024 at 10:36 am
Dr Catherine Wu’s research has laid the scientific foundation for the development of cancer vaccines that are tailored to the genetic makeup of an individual’s tumor. It’s a strategy that is looking ...
- The Future of Antibody-Drug Conjugates in Lung Cancer Treatmenton May 9, 2024 at 6:52 am
Drs Jacob Sands and Benjamin P. Levy discuss antibody-drug conjugates in lung cancer treatment, including differences in efficacy, toxicity profiles, and what the future holds.
- Matching Cancer Patients To Trials And Treatments With Triomicson May 9, 2024 at 5:00 am
Triomics has raised $15 million of funding as it moves to commercialise its AI platform for oncologists, hospitals and healthcare providers ...
- I Had Cancer. My Treatment Was Eye-Opening About Addictionon May 9, 2024 at 1:30 am
I've had two different types of cancer in two years and in both instances, I was screened, diagnosed early, and ushered into care.
via Bing News