AEROSOL DELIVERY OF LUNG CANCER DRUGS

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Delivery of anticancer drugs as inhaled aerosols is an attractive possibility for the treatment of lung cancer. Many of the agents that exhibit inhibitory activity towards cancer cell growth are lipophilic, including topotecan, taxol, taxotere, and etoposide. None of the currently available pulmonary drug delivery systems (CFC-propellant metered dose inhalers, aqueous solution nebulizers, and dry powder inhalers) are capable of forming respirable particles of such drugs. There remains, therefore, a clear need for the development of aerosol drug delivery systems specifically designed for pulmonary administration of lipophilic lung cancer drugs. We have developed a drug aerosolization method and devices based on the use of supercritical carbon dioxide as solvent and propellant. Carbon dioxide has solvent characteristics similar to hexane, so is well suited to dissolve and aerosolize lipophilic compounds. The overall goal of this project is to develop aerosol equipment that uses carbon dioxide and is suitable for future preclinical testing, clinical trials, and lung cancer patient care. The specific aims are to build and test devices for the aerosol administration of topotecan, taxol, taxotere, and etoposide. It is anticipated that this project will lead to the availability of aerosol delivery equipment for future testing of cancer drug aerosol inhalation in lung cancer models or patients. PROPOSED COMMERCIAL APPLICATION: Over 150,000 people die from lung cancer in the US each year, more than from breast, colon, and prostate cancer combined. The low survival rate makes cancer patients and their caregivers especially motivated to seek improved forms of therapy. After extensive research and development, we plan to sell aerosol generation devices for anticancer drugs, targeting hospitals and cancer clinics as purchasers of the equipment, and lung cancer patients as the end users.