Researchers develop nanodiscs to deliver personalized cancer therapy
Researchers from the University of Michigan have reported success in cancer research with mice using a new delivery method for therapies called nanodiscs. The researchers were able to use the nanodiscs to deliver a customized therapeutic vaccine for the treatment of colon and melanoma cancer tumors. Personalized immunotherapy is a growing field of research for cancer treatments.
"We are basically educating the immune system with these nanodiscs so that immune cells can attack cancer cells in a personalized manner," said James Moon, the John Gideon Searle assistant professor of pharmaceutical sciences and biomedical engineering.
The new therapy technique uses nanodiscs that are loaded with tumor neoantigens. A neoantigen is a unique mutation found in tumor cells. By generating T-cells that specifically recognize neoantigens the treatment devised by the researchers is able to target cancer mutations and fight to eliminate cancer cells and stop tumor growth. This sort of therapeutic cancer vaccine is meant to kill established cancer cells.
"The idea is that these vaccine nanodiscs will trigger the immune system to fight the existing cancer cells in a personalized manner," Moon said.
In rodent testing the nanodisc tech was used on mice that had established melanoma and colon cancer tumors. After the vaccine was administered, 27% of the T-Cells in the blood of the mice targeted the tumors. Combined with an existing tech that amplifies T-cell tumor fighting responses, the new nanodisc technology was able to kill tumors within ten days of treatment in the majority of mice. After waiting 70 days the researchers injected the same mice with the same tumor cells and the tumors were rejected by the immune system and did not regrow.
These nanodiscs are made of small, synthetic high density lipoproteins measuring about 10nm. The next step in animal testing is to use the tech in a group of larger animals according to the researchers.
SOURCE: University of Michigan