Developing Impermeable Nanocapsules for Efficient Remote Delivery of Cytotoxic Drugs at Precise Locations

Cancer therapeutics have dramatic side effects on healthy tissues. A prominent research area focuses on encapsulating cytotoxic drugs for targeted delivery to cancer tissues thereby reducing off-target side-effects. However, significant challenges remain for encapsulated clinical drugs.
1. Drug loading is low and the manufacturing process is inefficient and expensive
2. Once encapsulated, drug leaching over time is often high (especially on dilution)
3. Typically, release specifically within tumours is not achieved.
Recently developed methods for metallic-shell microcapsules able to permanently retain small molecules and to burst release payloads via ultrasound-based remote activation have recently evolved to produce nanocapsules (50-120nm) that can permanently encapsulate a chemotherapeutic drug (Paclitaxel). This delivery method addresses the above challenges simultaneously by ensuring that a high drug content is present within the nanocapsule cores, that no leaching occurs prior to reaching the site of action, thus preventing any side-effects and that local release of the drugs can be achieved through the use of ultrasound.
This project will further develop this methodology and address very important aspects of the technology, which are key for working towards uptake of this delivery method by industry.
This project addresses key aspects of cytotoxic drug delivery in a different manner by focusing on developing nano-objects, which aim to prevent side-effects by stopping leaching of the drugs, which is a typical drawback of most current nano-objects (e.g. liposomes, vesicles, micelles, nanoparticles), particularly upon dilution in the bloodstream.
Chemotherapy treatment efficacy is still restricted by our inability to deliver high enough doses to allow complete control of cancer cells, resulting from the need to limit systemic drug levels due to toxicity in non-target tissues. Nevertheless, current (low) systemic doses still induce dramatic patient life quality reduction with the majority of administered drugs causing side effects to the rest of the body rather than reaching tumours.
Here, a new method for delivering highly toxic chemotherapy drugs at high doses only within the tumour vicinity is developed by locally/remotely releasing drugs encapsulated within metal-shell nanocapsules that prevent any drug leaching prior to activation.
Responsible innovation in this project is based on two aspects: 1) understanding the potential toxicity of the metal nanocapsules on human cells in-vitro and on mouse models in-vivo and 2) considering the toxicity of 'potentially stray' nanocapsules on the environment.

1. PEOPLE. The SOFI2 CDT will have varied economic and societal impacts, the greatest of which will be the students themselves. They will graduate with a broad and deep scientific education as well as an entrepreneurial mind-set combined with business awareness and communication skills. The training programme reflects the knowledge and skills identified by industry partners, the EPSRC, recent graduates and national strategies. Partners will facilitate impact through their engagement in the extensive training programme and through the co-supervision of PhD projects. Responsible Innovation is embedded throughout the training programme to instil an attitude towards research and innovation in which societal concerns and environmental impact are always to the fore. The team-working and leadership skills developed in SOFI2 (including an appreciation of the benefits that diversity brings to an organisation and how to foster an atmosphere of equality and inclusion) will enable our graduates to take on leadership roles in industry where they can, in turn, influence the thinking of their teams.

2. PROJECTS. The PhD research projects themselves are impact pathways. Approximately half the projects will be co-sponsored by external partners and will be aligned to scientific challenges faced by the partner. Even projects funded entirely by the EPSRC/Universities will have an industrial co-supervisor who can provide advice on development of impact. The impact workshops and Entrepreneur in Residence will additionally help students to develop impact from their research, while at the same time developing the mind-set that sees innovation in invention.

3. PUBLIC. The public benefits from innovation that comes from the research in the CDT. It also benefits from the training of a generation of researchers trained in RI who seek out the input of stakeholders in the development of products and processes. The public benefits from the outreach activities that enable them to understand better the science behind contemporary technological developments - and hence to make more informed decisions about how they lead their lives. The younger generations benefit from the excitement of science that might attract them to higher education and careers in STEM subjects.

4. PARTNERSHIPS. SOFI2 involves collaborative research with >25 external partners from large multinationals to small start-ups. In addition to the results of sponsored projects and the possibility of recruiting SOFI2 students, companies benefit from access to training resources, sharing of best practice in RI and EDI, access to the knowledge of the SOFI2 academics and sharing of expertise with other partners in the SOFI2 network. This networking is of particular benefit to SMEs and we have an SME strategy to facilitate engagement of SMEs with SOFI2. SME representation on the Management and Strategic Advisory Boards will support the SME strategy.

CPI/NFC is a key partner both for delivery of training and to connect SOFI2 research, students and staff to a wide network of companies in the formulated products sector.

The unusual partnership with the Leverhulme Research Centre on Forensic Science may lead to a stronger scientific underpinning of forensic evidence with positive impacts on the legal process and the pursuit of justice.

5. PRODUCTS. Partner companies identify areas of fundamental and applied science of interest to them with the knowledge that advances in these areas will help them to overcome technological challenges that will lead to better products or new markets. It is an expectation that scientific discoveries made within the CDT will drive new products, new markets and potentially new companies. SOFI2 CDT seeks also to develop innovative training materials, for example, in RI and in data analytics and AI (in collaboration with the Alan Turing Institute), from which other CDTs and training organisations can benefit.