Cancer-Fighting Technique Attacks Cells with Different Drugs

A new study takes an in-depth look at how researchers have developed a technique that attacks cancer cells using different drugs. It works by hitting nanoparticles that carry two different cancer-killing products into the body via the delivery of two specific cancer-killing medications that are delivered separate target areas. 

"In testing on laboratory mice, our technique resulted in significant improvement in breast cancer tumor reduction as compared to conventional treatment techniques," Dr. Zhen Gu, senior author of a paper on the research and an assistant professor in the joint biomedical engineering program at NC State and UNC-Chapel Hill said, via a press release. Researchers at North Carolina State University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill are responsible for the development of the technique.

"Cancer cells can develop resistance to chemotherapy drugs, but are less likely to develop resistance when multiple drugs are delivered simultaneously," Gu said, via the  release. "However, different drugs target different parts of the cancer cell. For example, the protein drug TRAIL is the most effective against the cell membrane, while doxorubicin (Dox) is most effective when delivered to the nucleus. We've come up with a sequential and side-specific delivery technique that first delivers TRAIL to cancer cell membranes and then penetrates the membrane to deliver Dox to the nucleus."

The research team developed nanoparticles via an outershell made of hyaluronic acid (HA) woven together with TRAIL. The HA interacts with receptors on cancer cell membranes that grab the nanoparticle. Enzymes in the cancer cell environment work to break down the HA and release TRAIL onto the cell membrane that ultimately triggers its death.

Background information from the study notes that as the HA shell breaks down, the nanoparticles core is also revealed, which is made of Dox that is embedded with peptides. This allows the core to penetrate into the cancer cell and break the endosome apart, triggering cell death.

"We designed this drug delivery vehicle using a 'programmed' strategy," said Tianyue Jiang, a lead author in Dr. Gu's lab, via the release. "Different drugs can be released at the right time in their right places," adds Dr. Ran Mo, a postdoctoral researcher in Gu's lab and the other lead author.

"This research is our first proof of concept, and we will continue to optimize the technique to make it even more efficient," Gu adds. "The early results are very promising, and we think this could be scaled up for large-scale manufacturing."

More information regarding the study can be found via Advanced Functional Materials.