Scientists at Houston Methodist Research Institute have developed a biodegradable implant designed to deliver cancer-fighting immunotherapy drugs directly into tumors over an extended period, a strategy that could improve treatment effectiveness while reducing side effects.
The rice-sized implant, called biodegradable nanofibrous drug-eluting seed (b-NDES) functions as a small drug reservoir that can be implanted inside a tumor, where it slowly releases immune-stimulating drugs. The biodegradable format enables the implant to naturally and safely break down in the body over time, eliminating the need for it to be surgically removed.
The study , published in the Journal of Controlled Release , was co-led by Alessandro Grattoni, Ph.D., chair and director of the Center for BioNanoengineering at Houston Methodist Research Institute, and Corrine Chua, Ph.D., associate professor in the Center for BioNanoengineering at Houston Methodist Research Institute
"To improve cancer treatment, we're trying to start a fire inside the tumor itself," Chua said. "By activating immune cells directly within the tumor microenvironment, those cells can then travel throughout the body and seek out cancer wherever it exists. The b-NDES platform was developed to help keep therapeutic drugs concentrated inside tumors while minimizing exposure to healthy tissues.”
In preclinical models of triple-negative breast cancer, researchers combined the implant with radiation and two immunotherapeutic drugs. The implant helped keep the drugs concentrated inside the tumor, while limiting exposure to the rest of the body. As a result, the treatment completely eliminated tumors in 60% of the models and did not cause significant side effects elsewhere in the body.
"Although the study focused on triple-negative breast cancer models, the approach could have broader applications for solid tumors," Grattoni said. "It could potentially be used in cancers where there is a tumor lesion accessible for placement, including pancreatic or lung cancers."
The next phase of this research will focus on expanding the platform to other tumor types and advancing the manufacturing and safety studies needed to move it closer to clinical testing.
Other collaborators on the study included Francesco Manfredi, Jingyi Wang, Eleonora Molinari, Robin Vander Pol, Casey Lewis, Xinyi Peng, Nicola Di Trani, Danilo Settis, Madison Deeson and Yongbin Liu from Houston Methodist; Mahmoud Elsayad from UTHealth; Andrew Badachhape, Michael Ittman and Laxman Devkota from Baylor College of Medicine; and Dinh Nguyen, Simbarashe Jokonya and Patrick Stayton from University of Washington.
The study was supported by Houston Methodist Research Institute, the Nancy Owens Breast Cancer Foundation and the National Institutes of Health/National Cancer Institute.
To schedule an interview, contact Nathaniel Godwin, senior editor, research media relations at 681.285.8818 or nugodwin@houstonmethodist.org .
Journal of Controlled Release