A new study conducted by the Wilhelm Lab at the University of Oklahoma examines a promising development in biomedical nanoengineering. Published in Advanced Materials, the study explores new findings on the transportation of cancer nanomedicines into solid tumors.
A frequent misconception about many malignant solid tumors is that they are comprised only of cancerous cells. However, solid tumors also include healthy cells, such as immune cells and blood vessels. These blood vessels are nutrient transportation highways that tumors need to grow, but they can also be a pathway for medicine delivery, including for cancer nanomedicines.
Blood vessels, and the endothelial cells within them, are the transportation method examined in the new study led by Lin Wang, Ph.D., who was a postdoctoral research associate in the Wilhelm Lab while conducting the study and is the first author of the publication. Endothelial cells line blood vessels and manage the exchange between the bloodstream and surrounding tissues. These cells are the first barrier that the nanotechnologies encounter in the process of being transported into tumors.
The researchers found that endothelial cells in breast cancer tumors are two times more likely to interact with medicine-carrying nanoparticles than endothelial cells in healthy breast tissue. Wang said that the tumor endothelial cells have more transport features than the healthy endothelial cells, making them ideal conduits.
“If you know that the same cell type in tumor tissues is two times more likely to interact with your drug carriers than in healthy tissue, then in theory, you should be able to target those cells to get even more nanoparticles delivered into the tumor,” said Stefan Wilhelm, Ph.D., associate professor in the Stephenson School of Biomedical Engineering and corresponding author of the study.
The research was conducted on endothelial cells isolated from breast cancer tissues and isolated from healthy breast tissues. The next steps for the research will involve examining how the nanoparticles react in the context of the whole tissue architecture.
“Cell-culture level experiments are only so good at trying to recapitulate what is happening in the body,” said Wilhelm. “Working with colleagues at OU Health Sciences, we hope to get our hands on not just cells but the entire tumor tissue.”
The research team is working with the Stephenson Cancer Center to set up an ethics protocol allowing the lab to access stored samples of cancer tissue rather than just isolated cells. The Wilhelm Lab is focused on studying nanomedicine and using nanoparticles for drug delivery and diagnostics. In particular, the team is interested in studying the delivery of drugs into solid tumor tissues.
From an engineering perspective, a unique advantage of using nanoparticles for drug delivery is that they are small and flexible enough to be designed as direct delivery vehicles. In a laboratory setting, the nanoparticles are often designed as tiny spheres and loaded with the necessary drugs. Then, in clinics, they are often administered intravenously to patients. These drugs circulate through the bloodstream, and some of them enter the tumor.
There are challenges associated with this type of medicine transportation. One is that these nanoparticles circulate throughout the body, and consequently, they accumulate in other organs—called off-target organs—such as the liver, spleen and kidneys. Since these organs filter blood, they remove the nanoparticles, which are often considered foreign objects by the body.
The field of nanomedicine has been around for more than 40 years, and there are tens of thousands of publications on using nanoparticles to treat cancers at the preclinical stage. But there is a disconnect between the number of preclinical publications and the number of FDA-approved formulations of nanoparticles that are actually used in clinics.
Of those approved formulations, a fraction are used for solid tumors, and most treat liquid tumors, such as leukemia. Wilhelm speculates that this is partially because there is a lack of full understanding of how the nanoparticle delivery process works.
“And if you don’t understand something fully, it’s hard to develop solutions to those problems,” said Wilhelm.
“Researchers have started to go back to the fundamentals of nanomedicine development to understand the translation from the pre-clinical to the clinical space. Our lab wants to focus on these fundamentals to better understand the field and the delivery mechanisms specifically. If we understand these fundamentals, we can contribute even more to the field,” said Wang.
According to Wilhelm, the next big question is this: now that the lab has quantified and shown that endothelial cells are more likely to interact with and transport these nanomedicines, how can that transportation be made more efficient and specific to advance clinical cancer treatments? As these questions are answered, the opportunities for future advances in cancer health care will grow.
“We are just scratching the surface by using breast cancer as our model cancer system, but our findings may be relevant for other types of solid tumors as well,” said Wilhelm.
More information: Lin Wang et al, Primary Human Breast Cancer‐ Associated Endothelial Cells Favor Interactions with Nanomedicines, Advanced Materials (2024). DOI: 10.1002/adma.202403986
Journal information: Advanced Materials
![](https://www.nanoappsmedical.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/spacer.jpg)
News
Biological Differences in How Men and Women Perceive Pain Discovered
Researchers have discovered sex-specific differences in the nerve cells that generate pain, paving the way for personalized pain management treatments based on patient sex. Research indicates that men and women experience pain differently, but [...]
Scientists May Have Discovered the First Sign of Autism: An Unusually Large Brain
Researchers at the University of California San Diego discovered that an unusually large brain could be the first sign of autism, potentially detectable in as early as the first trimester. Some children with autism [...]
$100M Funding – Phase 3 trial of first oral disease-modifying therapy for Alzheimer’s.
Clinical-stage biotech Alzheon has completed a $100 million Series E financing round to advance the development and commercialization of its oral drug for Alzheimer’s disease. The drug, called ALZ-801 (valiltramiprosate), is designed to inhibit the formation [...]
‘Dual mutant’ seasonal flu virus could make some treatments ineffective
Two human cases of "dual mutant" strains of H1N1 flu have been reported by U.S. health officials. Unfortunately, the genetic changes appear to render the leading flu antiviral, Tamiflu, less effective, researchers from the U.S. Centers [...]
Mutation Mystery Solved: Why Lung Cancer Treatments Often Fail in Non-Smokers
Researchers have discovered the reason why targeted treatment for non-small cell lung cancer fails to work for some patients, particularly those who have never smoked. The study shows that lung cancer cells with two [...]
Innovative blood test boosts accuracy of lung cancer screening
In a recent study published in Cancer Discovery, researchers developed and validated a blood-based, cell-free deoxyribonucleic acid (cfDNA) fragmentome assay for lung cancer detection, which, if the results were positive, would be followed by low-dose [...]
Researchers Uncover Significant Cognitive Differences Between Male and Female Brains
Research from Weill Cornell Medicine reveals that astrocyte receptors impact cognitive functions differently in males and females, suggesting a need for sex-specific approaches in developing treatments targeting these brain cells. Scientists at Weill Cornell Medicine have [...]
Columbia Scientists Unravel a 15-Year Mistake in Stem Cell Research
Columbia University’s research has uncovered a longstanding error in identifying gut stem cells, finding the true stem cells in a different site, which could revolutionize regenerative medicine by applying these findings to other organs. [...]
COVID-19 Triggers Lethal Lung Disease in Previously Unaffected Populations
Researchers discovered that during the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a surge in a rare autoimmune disease among previously unaffected demographic groups, leading to the deaths of nine patients. The disease is an autoimmune response where the [...]
Spicing Up Pathogen Defense: Scientists Transform Cinnamon Into Nanotech Antimicrobials
Cinnamon oil-based nanodevice effectively targets key pathogens, with potential uses in healthcare and food safety A team of researchers from the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV) and the CIBER de Bioingeniería, Biomaterials y Nanomedicine [...]
High Excess Death Rates 3 Years Running Since COVID – “Serious Cause for Concern”
Despite containment and COVID-19 vaccines; “serious cause for concern,” say researchers. A study highlights persistent high excess death rates in the West from 2020 to 2022, despite COVID-19 measures and vaccines. Over three million excess deaths [...]
Super-resolution microscopy provides a nano-scale look
A new, nano-scale look at how the SARS-CoV-2 virus replicates in cells may offer greater precision in drug development, a Stanford University team reports in Nature Communications. Using advanced microscopy techniques, the researchers produced what might be [...]
Nature’s Painkiller: Natural Molecules Found in Cannabis Rival Morphine in Groundbreaking Study
Researchers at the Comprehensive Center for Pain & Addiction conducted tests on five terpenes, finding promising results in their pain-relief capabilities. A study from the University of Arizona Health Sciences, published in the journal PAIN, discovered [...]
The Ultimate Killer: Pollution Deadlier Than War, Terrorism, and Major Diseases
Manmade pollutants and climate change contribute to millions of deaths from cardiovascular disease each year, warn a coalition of leading scientists. A new series published today (June 3) in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology highlights [...]
Scientists Race To Perfect New Oral COVID-19 Treatment Poised To Replace Paxlovid
Rutgers researchers are advancing a potential new COVID-19 treatment, Jun12682, which is effective in animal studies and compatible with other medications, unlike the current leading treatment, Paxlovid. Researchers at Rutgers believe they are among the lead [...]
Penn Medicine Develops Potent mRNA Vaccine Against Lethal H5N1 Virus
Experimental mRNA vaccine proves highly effective against H5N1 in animal studies, offering hope for rapid pandemic response. Researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania have developed an experimental mRNA [...]