PLGA-NH2 from PolySciTech used in testing nanoparticles for platinum-based anticancer therapy

 

Cisplatin is the first FDA approved metal-based drug for treatment of solid tumors as it uses platinum as an active agent. In the blood stream, however, it reacts with glutathione which diminishes its effectiveness. Recently, researchers at City University of New York used PLGA-NH2 (AI010) to make Cy5.5 labeled nanoparticles for tracking purposes as part of their research in making nanoparticles for delivery of cisplatin. This research holds promise for improving treatments against cancer. Read more: Marek T. Wlodarczyk “Enhanced Platinum (II) Drug Delivery for Anti-cancer Therapy” PhD Dissertation City University of New York, 2021 https://academicworks.cuny.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=5668&context=gc_etds

“Over the years, anti-cancer therapies have improved the overall survival rate of patients. Nevertheless, the traditional free drug therapies still suffer from side effects and systemic toxicity, resulting in low drug dosages in the clinic. This often leads to suboptimal drug concentrations reaching cancer cells, contributing to treatment failure and drug resistance. Among available anticancer therapies, metallodrugs are of great interest. Platinum (II)-based agents are highly potent and are used to treat many cancers, including ovarian cancer (OC). Cisplatin (cisdiaminedichloroplatinum (II)) is the first Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved metallodrug for treatment of solid tumors, and its mechanism of action is based on inhibition of cancer cell replication via binding to nuclear DNA. However, circulating cisplatin binds to glutathione and other proteins in the blood compartment, diminishing the concentration of the free drug available for therapy. Also, highly potent cisplatin is associated with severe side effects, limiting the dosage of Pt(II) that can be administered in the clinic. The next generation Pt(II) drugs aim at sustaining the same effectiveness while improving systemic toxicity. Carboplatin is a second-generation Pt-based agent approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Slower hydrolysis times for carboxylate ligands in carboplatin, compared to rather fast times for chlorine ligands in cisplatin, lead to longer blood circulation times and lesser side effects. The therapeutic effect of carboplatin is comparable with cisplatin in some tumors, but it requires higher drug dosages, and the survival rate did not improve.”