Smart targeting nano-doxorubicin against breast cancer

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Currently available therapy for advanced breast cancer is inadequate. Doxorubicin (DOX), one of the most effective anticancer drugs, is commonly used against breast cancer. However, its clinical use is restricted by dose-dependent toxicity (myelosuppression and cardiotoxicity), the emergence of multidrug resistance and its low specificity against cancer cells. PEGylated liposomal doxorubicin (Doxil(R)) is the first nanoformulations of DOX approved by FDA for the treatment of breast cancer. Although the encapsulation of DOX into liposome does result in decreased DOX-induced cardiomyopathy, its clinical anti-cancer efficacy is only marginally better than the parent drug. This could in part be explained by its relatively large size (ca. 130 nm), thus limiting the tumor tissue penetration and obviating the enhanced permeability retention (EPR) effect. It has been reported that smaller nanoparticles such as 30 nm micelles could penetrate poorly permeable tumors for a bet