PLA from PolySciTech used as part of polylysine based pancreatic cancer therapy development

Pancreatic cancer is a form of cancer which is very difficult to treat and can often be fatal. Peptides, such as polylysine, have been found to slow the growth of cancer however delivering them to the cancer site is difficult. Recently, researchers working at Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, Universidad Nacional de Cordoba (Argentina) University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and University of Sao Paulo (Brazil), utilized PLA (Polyvivo # AP078) from PolySciTech (www.polyscitech.com) as part of a microparticle system for delivery of polylysine as a treatment of pancreatic cancer. This research holds promise for providing treatment options for this fatal disease. Read more: Merari T. Chevalier, Mónica C. García, Daniela Gonzalez, Sandro M. Gomes-Filho, Daniela S. Bassères, Hernan Farina & Vera A. Alvarez (2017): Preparation, characterization and in vitro evaluation of ε-polylysine-loaded polymer blend microparticles for potential pancreatic cancer therapy, Journal of Microencapsulation, DOI: 10.1080/02652048.2017.1370028 (http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02652048.2017.1370028)

“Peptide active ingredients show great promise regarding the treatment of various health-endangering diseases. It is reported that L-lysine inhibits the proliferation of several tumour lines in vitro and in vivo. However, proteins and peptide drugs possess certain disadvantages such as in vivo instability and short biological half-life. On the grounds that drug delivery systems can overcome a wide spectrum of bioactive compounds issues, a biopolymeric blend-based microparticulated system capable of delivering ε-polylysine (PLL) was developed. PLL-loaded poly((L)Lactic acid)/poly(D,L-Lactide)-co-poly(ethylene glycol)-based microparticles (PLL-PB-MPs) were prepared and fully characterised exhibiting a narrow size distribution (1.2 ± 0.12 µm), high loading efficiency (81%) and improved thermal stability (Td from 250 °C to 291 °C). The cytotoxicity and antiproliferative effect of PLL-PB-MPs in pancreatic adenocarcinoma cell lines BxPC3 and MIA PaCa-2 were confirmed. Due to their physicochemical and biopharmaceutical properties, PB-MPs constitute a promising carrier to deliver bioactive peptides. Keywords: Biopolymers, ε-polylysine, microparticles, polylactic acid”