Improve Cancer Therapies Through Nano-Reformulation

At Drug Delivery Partnerships 2015 – Scott E. McNeil, PhD, Nanotechnology Characterization Lab (NCL), Cancer Research Technology Program, Leidos Biomedical Research, Inc., Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research will speak in a session titled “Improve Cancer Therapies Through Nano-Reformulation”

Session Information:

The Nanotechnology Characterization Laboratory’s (NCL) primary focus is the translation of nanotechnology formulations for cancer treatment. NCL has assisted nearly 100 different investigators and provided a range of characterization services (e.g. physicochemical, in vitro immunotoxicology, and in vivo animal studies) for over 300 different nanoformulations. Most cancer drugs are highly hydrophobic and have a multitude of dose-limiting toxic side effects. Nano-reformulation of these same drugs has proven potential to improve drug solubility, serve as a depot for controlled release, improve bioavailability and biodistribution, as well as reduce toxic side effects. This talk will provide a discussion of the benefits of nanotechnology reformulation to improve existing cancer therapies. Funded by NCI contract No. HHSN261200800001E.

• Nanotechnology has been successful in helping dozens of drugs reach clinical trials and the commercial market.

• Nanoformulation can improve efficacy and reduce side effects of existing treatments.

• The NCL has a variety of reformulation and characterization options available to assist researchers in the advancement of their novel drugs or formulations.


Nanotechnology in the news:

Story via Mehr News

Researchers in Tehran University of Medical Sciences have developed a nanofiber mesh to deliver anticancer medications to the cells.

The new nanofiber mesh is an approach to synthetic polymers technology where a bio-adoptable and biodegradable component improves the efficacy of anticancer medications through rapid delivery in cellular level.

Mohammad Irani, PhD student of Chemical Engineering in Amir Kabir University of Technology said, “The electrospinning process has contributed to develop nanodrug; nanofibers and carbon nanotubes are constituent part of the mesh and have very high area to volume ratio, which provides optimum conditions to load drug in a very small area of the nanostructure. The mesh provides controlled and long-term delivery of drugs to cells; this significantly reduces the toxic effects of anticancer drugs; carbon nanotubes establish bonds with anticancer drugs such as Doxorubicin HCl and improve their loading into the nanofiber mesh for their unique mechanical and thermal properties,”.

Irani continued to say, “The research project sought to develop industrial composite nanofiber cell scaffolds as drug deliverers; the future research would investigate the applications of nanofibers as anticancer drugs and analgesic compounds which require longer delivery times,”

“The rate of loading drug and its delivery in nanocomposite was studied in the course of 60 days; the nanofibers were tested on lung cancer A549 cells,” he told Mehr News. “Most of the anticancer drugs have poor  selectivity and high cytotoxicity; to prevent these harmful properties, a drug delivery system is to be planned to improve the efficacy of chemotherapeutic measures to fight cancer and at the same time, minimizing the lethal impact of the drugs on nearby tissues,” Irani said.



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