STTR Phase II: Nanoshell-Based Cancer Therapy

This Small Business Technology Transfer Research (STTR) Phase II project proposes to develop a new treatment for cancer based upon the thermal activation of gold-coated nanoparticles. This therapeutic technique involves (a) the manufacture of new class of bio-compatible nanoparticles, optically-tunable nanoshells, designed to absorb in near-infrared wavelengths ; (b) the intravenous administration of nanoshells, which accumulate in the tumor as a result of the leaky vasculature associated with tumors ; (c) exposure of the tumor and potential routes of metastatic spread to an external laser source at near-infrared wavelengths, which are minimally absorbed by human tissue but preferentially absorbed by nanoshells, resulting in the generation of localized areas of heat by the nanoshells sufficient to result in tumor regression. The commercial application of this project will be in the area of cancer therapy. There are approximately 216,000 diagnosed cases of breast cancer in the U.S. each year. Treatment for breast cancer generally involves surgical excision, radiation, hormonal therapy and chemotherapy. The proposed treatment, offering a safer, minimally invasive and cheaper alternative, is expected to achieve a complete response in identified solid tumors, to treat otherwise inoperable tumors and to eliminate regional metastatic disease before it is clinically diagnosed.