Implantable Nanofluidic Device Smaller Than a Rice Grain Can Shrink Pancreatic Tumors [Study]

Pancreatic cancer is one of the most aggressive and challenging tumors to cure. Houston Methodist nanomedicine experts have discovered a strategy to control it by injecting immunotherapy directly into the tumor with a tinier device than a grain of rice.

Nanofluidic Device to Shrink Pancreatic Tumor

Researchers from the Houston Methodist Research Institute used an implantable nanofluidic device they developed to deliver CD40 monoclonal antibodies (mAb), a promising immunotherapeutic agent, at a sustained low-dose via the nanofluidic drug-eluting seed (NDES) in a new study. Tumors were reduced in murine models at a fourfold lower dosage than with conventional systemic immunotherapy, Phys.org reported.

One of the most intriguing discoveries, according to Corrine Ying Xuan Chua, Ph.D., co-corresponding author and assistant professor of nanomedicine at Houston Methodist Academic Institute, was that the tumor without the NDES device shrank even though it was only implanted in one of two tumors in the same animal model. It indicates that local immunotherapy was successful in triggering the immune system to attack further cancers. In fact, during the subsequent 100 days of observation, one animal model remained tumor-free.

Advanced stages of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma are typically when it is discovered. When diagnosed, roughly 85% of patients already have metastatic disease.

On the International Space Station, the Houston Methodist researchers are researching a related nanofluidic delivery system. Houston Methodist's Grattoni Nanomedicine Lab specializes in implantable nanofluidics-based platforms for long-term, regulated drug delivery and cell transplantation to treat chronic illnesses.

The NDES device consists of a stainless-steel drug reservoir with nanochannels that create a membrane that permits sustained diffusion when the drug is released.

Nanofluidic Device to Transform Cancer Treatment

Immunotherapy has the potential to treat cancers for which no effective treatments were available in the past. However, because immunotherapy is administered all over the body, it frequently results in permanent side effects.

By concentrating the delivery directly into the tumor, the body is shielded from hazardous medications and experiences fewer side effects, improving the quality of life for patients receiving treatment.

According to Alessandro Grattoni, their objective is to change how cancer is handled. The new technology is a promising option for entering the pancreatic tumor in a less invasive and efficient manner, enabling a more concentrated therapy with fewer medications.

Intratumoral drug-eluting implants for cancer therapy are available from other medical technology companies. However, they are only meant to be used temporarily. To avoid repeated systemic treatment, which frequently results in adverse side effects, the Houston Methodist nanofluidic device is designed for long-term controlled and sustained release.

The usefulness and safety of this delivery method are still being investigated in the lab, but researchers want to see it available to cancer patients within the next five years.

The results of the study were recently published in Advanced Science.

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