Gold Nanostars and Immunotherapy Vaccinate Mice Against Cancer

저자：   업로드：2017-08-21  조회수：

    By combining an FDA-approved cancer immunotherapy with an emerging tumor-roasting nanotechnology, Duke University researchers improved the efficacy of both therapies in a proof-of-concept study using mice.  They published their work, "Synergistic Immuno Photothermal Nanotherapy (SYMPHONY) for the Treatment of Unresectable and Metastatic Cancers," in Scientific Reports.

    The new approach also attacked satellite tumors and distant cancerous cells, leading to two mice being cured of the disease and one being vaccinated against it.

    “Using a combination of immune-checkpoint inhibition and plasmonic gold nanostar (GNS)-mediated photothermal therapy, we were able to achieve complete eradication of primary treated tumors and distant untreated tumors in some mice implanted with the MB49 bladder cancer cells,” wrote the investigators. “Delayed rechallenge with MB49 cancer cells injection in mice that appeared cured by SYMPHONY did not lead to new tumor formation after 60 days observation, indicating that SYMPHONY treatment induced effective long-lasting immunity against MB49 cancer cells.”

    "The ideal cancer treatment is noninvasive, safe, and uses multiple approaches," said Tuan Vo-Dinh, Ph.D., the R. Eugene and Susie E. Goodson Professor of Biomedical Engineering, professor of chemistry, and director of the Fitzpatrick Institute for Photonics at Duke University. "We also aim at activating the patient's own immune system to eradicate residual metastatic tumors. If we can create a long-term anticancer immunity, then we'd truly have a cure."

    The specific photothermal immunotherapy was developed by Duke researchers and uses lasers and gold nanostars to heat and kill tumors in combination with an immunotherapeutic drug. The technique works based on the ability of nanoparticles to accumulate preferentially within a tumor due to its leaky vasculature, according to the scientists, who add that gold nanostars have the advantage of geometry. With many sharp spikes, they can capture the laser's energy more efficiently, thus permitting them to work with less exposure, making them more effective deeper within a tissue.

    "The nanostar spikes work like lightning rods, concentrating the electromagnetic energy at their tips," said Dr. Vo-Dinh. "We've experimented with these gold nanostars to treat tumors before, but we wanted to know if we could also treat tumors we didn't even know were there or tumors that have spread throughout the body."

    Dr. Vo-Dinh explained that the body's immune system protects against the growth of cancerous cells. Many tumors,

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