Theranostic Nanocells for Simultaneous Imaging and Photodynamictherapy of Pancreatic Cancer

摘要

Nanotechnology has the potential to deliver multiple imaging and therapeutic agents to the "right place at the right time". This could dramatically improve treatment responses in cancer which have been so far, dismal as well as allow us to monitor this response online. Pancreatic cancer (PanCa) has a poor prognosis with a 5-year survival rate of only 5% and there is a desperate need for effective treatments. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) has shown promising results in ireating PanCa. Mechanism-based combinations with PDT have enhanced treatment outcome. Agents tested with PDT include Avastin, an antibody against vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) which is approved for treating various cancers. Here, we investigate the effect of neutralizing intracellular VEGF using nanotechnology for the delivery of Avastin in combination with PDT. For this we used a construct called "nanocells" in which the photosensitizer was trapped inside polymer nanoparticles and these, with Avastin, were then encapsulated inside liposomes. Simultaneous delivery of drugs in nano-constructs could improve the treatment response of mechanism based combination therapies against cancer. Our studies demonstrate significant enhancement in treatment outcomes when nanocell-based PDT is combined with Avastin in orthotopic PanCa mouse models. We propose a new paradigm for Avastin-based therapy by combining intracellular delivery of the antibody and PDT using nanotechnology for treating PanCa.