PLGA-PEG-Mal from PolySciTech used for development of prostate cancer targeting nanoparticle as part of drug-delivery system

PolySciTech division of Akina, Inc. (www.polyscitech.com) provides a wide array of biodegradable polymers including diblock PEG-PLGA and reactive Maleimide-PEG-PLGA. Recently, researchers at Albany utilized polymers from PolySciTech to develop anti-CD24 conjugated nanoparticles. CD24 is overexpressed in almost 70% of all human cancers (Nature Communications 6, Article number: 5909 doi:10.1038/ncomms6909) which makes it an attractive target for drug delivery. Docetaxel, an anti-mitotic chemotherapy agent, is well established for having good efficacy against cancer cells. By developing a system which targets docetaxel loaded nanoparticles to cancer, the researchers were able to shrink tumors in the mouse model relative to control. This research holds promise for improved chemotherapeutic strategies to treat cancer effectively while minimalizing side effects. Read more: Bharali, Dhruba J., Thangirala Sudha, Huadong Cui, Badar M. Mian, and Shaker A. Mousa. "Anti-CD24 Nano-targeted Delivery of Docetaxel for the Treatment of Prostate Cancer." Nanomedicine: Nanotechnology, Biology and Medicine (2016). http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1549963416301290

“Abstract: Nanoparticle (NP)-mediated, noninvasively targeted and image-guided therapies have potential to improve efficacy and safety of cancer therapeutics. We report synthesis and use of poly(lactide-co-glycolide)-polyethylene glycol (PLGA-PEG) NPs for targeted delivery of docetaxel. We synthesized docetaxel encapsulated NPs conjugated to anti-CD24 (for targeting) and/or an optical probe (for tracking) and evaluated efficacy in a prostate cancer mouse model. We observed preferential accumulation of anti-CD24 conjugated NPs (encapsulating docetaxel) compared to the non-conjugated NPs 24 hours after a single injection into luciferase-expressing PC3M prostate cancer tumor. In the same mouse model, we found significant (P < 0.01) accumulation of docetaxel (~10-fold higher) in tumor after treatment with PLGA-PEG NPs encapsulating docetaxel and conjugated to anti-CD24 compared to non-conjugated NPs. Enhanced accumulation was associated with reduced tumor mass and tumor viability. These data support the potential impact of nano-targeted delivery of chemotherapy in enhancing the differential tumor delivery and anticancer efficacy in prostate cancer. Graphical Abstract: Synthesis of PLGA-PEG nanoparticles encapsulating docetaxel and conjugated to anti-CD24. Abbreviations: Cy7, Cy7 N-hydroxysuccinimid; MAL, maleimide; PLGA-PEG, poly(lactide-co-glycolide)-polyethylene glycol; PVA, polyvinyl alcohol”