PLGA from PolySciTech used in the development of a multi-functional, theranostic nanoparticle for cancer therapy

“Theranostic” is a term which combines ‘therapy’ and ‘diagnostic’ into a single word. In the realm of cancer research, it is a highly-sought after property for any regimen as cancer is difficult to diagnose, locate, and treat. Nanoparticles which can be targeted towards the cancerous lesions and render them either visible or act as ultrasound/electromagnetic contrast agents have great value in locating and diagnosing the cancer while nanoparticles which deliver chemotherapeutic agents can be useful for treating cancer. Recently, researchers working jointly at Yangzhou University and Soochow University (China) used PLGA (AP040) from PolySciTech (www.polyscitech.com) to develop nanoparticles which were decorated with gold nanoparticles (act as contrast agents as well as photosensitizers) and were loaded with doxorubicin (a chemotherapeutic agent). These particles were tested and found to be effective both at locating cancer as well as treating it. This research holds promise to provide for both improved diagnosis and treatment of cancer. Read more: Xi, Juqun, Wenjuan Wang, Lanyue Da, Jingjing Zhang, Lei Fan, and Lizeng Gao. "Au-PLGA hybrid nanoparticles with catalase-mimicking and near-infrared photothermal activities for photoacoustic imaging-guided cancer therapy." ACS Biomaterials Science & Engineering (2018). http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acsbiomaterials.7b00901

“Imaging-guided diagnosis and therapy has been highlighted in the area of nanomedicines. However, integrating multiple functions with high performance in one theranostic (“all-in-one”) still presents considerable challenges. Here, “all-in-one” nanoparticles with drug-loading capacity, catalase-mimetic activity, photoacoustic (PA) imaging ability and photothermal properties were prepared by decorating Au nanoparticles on doxorubicin (DOX) encapsulated poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) vehicle. The results revealed that the as-prepared Au-PLGA hybrid nanoparticles possessed high photothermal conversion efficiency of up to approximately 69.0%, meanwhile their strong acoustic generation endowed them with efficient PA signal sensing for cancer diagnosis. On an 808 nm laser irradiation, the O2 generation, DOX release profile and reactive oxygen species (ROS) level were all improved, which were beneficial to relieving tumor hypoxia and enhanced the cancer chemo/PTT combined therapy. Overall, the multifunctional Au-PLGA hybrid nanoparticles with these integrated advantages shows promise in PA imaging-guided diagnosis and synergistic tumor ablation. Keywords: Au-PLGA hybrid nanoparticles; catalase-mimicking activity chemo/photothermal therapy; photoacoustic imaging”