Development of drug-loaded antibody-targeted nanoparticles to kill colorectal cancer cells [ 2007 - 2009 ]

Research Grant

Researchers: A/Pr Joan Heath (Principal investigator) ,  Prof Edouard Nice ,  Prof Frank Caruso

Brief description COLORECTAL CANCER (CRC) is the most common cancer in the Western world. In Australia, the five-year survival rate after surgical resection of the primary lesion is 55%, and for patients with advanced disease the five-year survival rate is less than 10%. Colorectal cancer is relatively resistant to radiotherapy and chemotherapy and therefore there is great emphasis on identifying alternative modes of treatment. One approach that is attracting considerable attention is IMMUNOTHERAPY. In particular, the A33 ANTIBODY system appears to have the potential to target colorectal cancer cells and achieve therapeutic outcomes. The A33 system has been well characterised in both a clinical and laboratory setting over the last few years and recent clinical trials with humanised versions of the A33 antibody have demonstrated rapid localisation and accumulation of radiolabelled A33 to colorectal cancer lesions. The application of NANOTECHNOLOGY to biological systems is likely to transform the way we treat a variety of diseases over the course of the next decade. Nanosized drug delivery vehicles have the potential to revolutionise the treatment of a number of diseases, cancer in particular. Hollow capsules can be synthesised with a drug sequestered inside the capsule, where the capsule wall performs a dual role of protecting the body from potentially harmful side effects of the drug, as well as protecting the drug from being degraded by the body. We plan to use these nanosized drug carriers, functionalised with the A33 antibody, to deliver chemotherapy agents directly to the colorectal cancer cells. We have recently demonstrated that in vitro, nanocapsules functionalised with the A33 antibody specifically bind to CRC cells, and once bound, the capsules are internalised. In this proposal we will test the ability of these particles to kill CRC cells in mice harbouring human tumours.

Funding Amount $AUD 513,146.74

Funding Scheme NHMRC Project Grants

Notes Standard Project Grant