Large Scale Synthesis and Biodistribution of Expansile Nanoparticles

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Despite aggressive multimodality therapy combining surgery, radiation, and/or chemotherapy, mesothelioma is a nearly universally fatal cancer with the majority of patients succumbing to symptoms of local recurrence. Todate, there is no effective cure for this disease and there is no way to prevent local recurrence. Consequently, new drug delivery approaches, biomaterials, and mechanisms to deliver pharmacologically active agents are needed. Ionic Pharmaceuticals is developing a novel nanoparticle-based drug delivery system for localizing intraperitoneally administered chemotherapy directly to the site of established disease that remains following surgical resection procedures, resulting in increased tumor-tissue drug concentrations and, subsequently, reduced recurrence and improved patient survival. Recent data demonstrate that, in a murine model of established, human, intraperitoneal (IP) mesothelioma, treatment with paclitaxel-loaded expansile nanoparticles (Pax-eN