Inhaled Nano-immunotherapies and Osteosarcoma Lung Metastasis

Authors

Raneem R. Aldaqqa, Virginia Commonwealth UniversityFollow

Original Publication Date

2024

Document Type

Presentation

Comments

10th Annual VCU 3MT® Competition, held on October 4, 2024.

Abstract

This presentation focuses on the development of inhaled nano-immunotherapies for osteosarcoma lung metastasis. The research utilizes nanocarriers to deliver drugs directly to the lungs, aiming to enhance effectiveness, reduce systemic side effects, and improve patient outcomes. Early results in mice show successful delivery and retention of nanocarriers in the lungs, providing a promising foundation for future cancer therapies.

Transcription

Next, we have Raneem Aldaqqa. She's studying inhaled nano-immunotherapies and osteosarcoma lung metastasis. She's from the School of Pharmacy, and her advisor is Dr. Sandro de Rocha. Let me tell you a story, the story of Adam. Adam is a child that was recently diagnosed with an aggressive form of bone cancer called osteosarcoma. This news was already heartbreaking for his family, but this is not the worst part yet. This cancer has already spread to other parts of Adam's body, his lungs, causing osteosarcoma lung metastasis, which is even worse than the bone cancer itself. Now, Adam has to endure multiple rounds of chemotherapies. He has to deal with multiple side effects, like nausea, vomiting, and hair loss, because this chemotherapy reaches all of his body, not only the lungs. drugs. He will have to stay in the hospital for days, and as a result, he will lose most of his everyday activities. This is very sad, right? But here is something even harder to hear. Despite all of this, Adam has only 20% chance to live for five years or more. That's why we decided it's the time for change, by delivering medications directly to the lungs using nanotechnology. I will break this down. So delivering the drugs directly to the lungs will increase their effectiveness and reduce the side effects because it targets the lungs more precisely and spares the healthy parts of the body. And by using nanotechnology, we create nanocarriers, very tiny engineered particles, thousands of times smaller than a grain of sand, less than one micrometer in size. These nanocarriers deliver medication where they are needed. And this focused approach is very crucial in cancer therapy because it increases the concentration of the drug at the cancer site while reducing the harm in other parts of the body. In our lab we have designed these nanocarriers and loaded them with a fluorescent marker to track them. Then we delivered them through the mouth to the lungs of mice and then we were able to see that they reach the chest area and specifically the lungs of the mice and not only that they were able to stay there for up to 12 hours after treatment which means prolonged effect of these nanocarriers. In another set of experiments, we tested these nanocarriers in different types of cells that are usually present in the cancer, and we were able to see their ability to reach these different types of cells. These results are promising, and our technology is now to refine this technique with loading real cancer therapies and test them. If successful, this could represent a breakthrough, because patients like Adam can have their medication through inhalation, avoiding painful needles, they can have fewer side effects, improved quality of life, and also improve their chances of survival. To sum up, Adam might not be a real patient name, but his story represents thousands of children battling this devastating disease. And our work is dedicated to improve their quality of life and to change their reality by creating more innovative targeted treatments. Thank you.

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