Laser-guided drug delivery to prevent tumor recurrences

PROJECT SUMMARY Surgical tumor resection is the first-line therapy for many types of cancers. For some cancer types, residual cancer cells frequently remain in the tumor margin after surgery, resulting in local tumor recurrence. We developed technology that enables the delivery of a large chemotherapy dose to the surgical cavity immediately after surgical tumor excision. The purpose of this delivery is to kill cancer cells remaining after surgery and eliminate local recurrence. Specifically, we employ thermo-sensitive liposomal nanoparticles (TNP) encapsulating a chemotherapy agent (doxorubicin or idarubicin). The particles circulate in the blood stream for extended duration (~hours), and rapidly release the contained agent only in a targeted region upon hyperthermia exposure (>40 ºC). Combined with an appropriate hyperthermia device, our TNP enable the local delivery of a ~25x higher local dose compared to the systemic administration of unencapsulated drug. The goal of this project is development of a device that uses an infrared laser to expose the surgical cavity to optimal temperatures for release of chemotherapy from TNP. If successful, this will enable the delivery of a large chemotherapy dose to remnant cancer cells after surgery, preventing local tumor recurrences.