A research team has developed a nano-platform technology that works in combination with existing chemotherapeutic drugs that may reverse drug-resistance in renal cell carcinoma.

Drug resistance to chemotherapy is a significant clinical and financial burden in renal cell carcinoma and other types of cancers. The resistance can be caused by hypoxia, a decreased level of oxygen in the tumour cells and infiltration of tumour-promoting immune cells aiding the tumor growth in contrast to fighting against it.

To alleviate the drug resistance, Arun Iyer Assistant Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences in the Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences at Wayne State University, and co-investigator and lead author of the work, Dr Samaresh Sau, research associate in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences in the Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, set out to find a way to use tumor hypoxia-directed nanoparticles to attack the root cause of the problem.

“Our tumour hypoxia directed nanoparticle used in conjunction with the FDA-approved renal cell carcinoma treatment, Sorafenib, has had positive outcomes in our animal trials,” said Iyer Assistant Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences in the Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences at Wayne State University. “The nanoparticles can deliver the payload selectively to tumour tissue and penetrate deep into the tumour core and provoke significant tumor inhibition with marked safety.”

According to the duo, the results have shown that this targeted approach has great benefits.

Image Credit:   DTR

Thanks to Dr. ir Johannes Drooghaag. Follow him on twitter:@DrJDrooghaag

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