Stimulus-responsive nanoparticles for intraoperative NIR imaging and treatment of pancreatic cancer

Lead Research Organisation: University of Ulster
Department Name: Sch of Biomedical Sciences

Abstract

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Publications

10 25 50
 
Description Using a preclinical model we found that the novel nanoparticle formulation:
1. Provided a means of distinguishing between tumour and normal tissues during surgical resection. This would ensure complete removal of tumour tissues and yet minimise collateral damage to normal tissues.
2. Provided a means of treating an exposed surgical field in order to eradicate or significantly reduce any remaining tumour tissue. This would ensure eradication of any microscopic disease that may have been missed during surgical resection, thereby reducing recurrence at the surgical site or, potentially, reducing the chances of subsequent metastasis.
Exploitation Route Tissues harvested during our in vivo studies have been provided to our collaborator at UCL in order to study the impact of nanoparticle administration on off target tissues.
Sectors Healthcare
 
Description Together with our collaborators at UCL, we are currently engaging with clinicians in order to ascertain the potential utility of our technology platform. Essentially the technology that has been reduced to practice in preclinical models will require interaction with both clinicians and regulatory authorities in order to move the approach to the clinic. We would expect that translation to the clinic would have significant impact on patients (reduced trauma as a result of precluding cancer recurrence and reduced collateral damage to normal tissues). From an economic perspective, reducing cancer recurrence and collateral damage to normal tissues would be expected to have have positive implications for health service providers as a result of reduced post operative care requirements. During our in vivo experiments, tissues were harvested for histological examination by our collaborators at UCL. Once the data are available, those, together with accumulated data from the in vivo studies will be collated, analysed and for the basis for publication.
First Year Of Impact 2022
Sector Healthcare
 
Description NIR Imaging (execution of in vivo studies) 
Organisation University College London
Department Division of Surgery & Interventional Science
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution Partnership is designed to achieve the milestones identified for the in vivo studies. Our partners designed, prepared, characterised and provided us with a nanoparticle formulation that enabled nIR fluorescence imaging of tumour tissues for use in identifying tumour/normal tissue borders and could further be used at a photodynamic sensitiser to treat exposed surgical fields to eradicate residual tumour tissue. Our contribution was to design and execute the in vivo studies. The latter involved examining the biodistribution and efficacy (realtime imaging during surgery/PDT-mediated eradication of residual tumour tissue) of the lead candidate nanoparticle preparation using a murine pancreatic cancer model.
Collaborator Contribution Partner characterised a number of nanoparticle formulations and provided us with a lead candidate for testing in vivo.
Impact The lead candidate formulation was provided to us in Aug 21 and we embarked on our in vivo studies thereafter. Data outputs include: 1. Biodistribution studies demonstrating significant uptake of the nanoparticles by tumours. 2. Efficacy established in terms of using the formulation to identify tumour tissue for resection. 3. Efficacy demonstrated in terms of treating the exposed surgical field with nIR light (photodynamic therapy) in order to eradicate residual tumour tissue after resection.
Start Year 2018