I'm wondering if anybody tried to deliver functionalized Au NPs to the prostate with cancer employing either passive or active targeting (PSMA, for example). Due to theranostic nature of Au NPs, they can be used both for cancer detection and therapy (for example, nanoparticle mediated thermal therapy). How far have we advanced in delivering Au NPs to the prostate in vivo ?
Yes, there was or is (if they are still viable) a small US based biotech doing this. They were using relying on the gold nano particles getting stuck in the abnormal tumour vasculature and would initiate them with laser light of a certain wavelength. Nothing published to my knowledge. Unfortunately I cannot recall their name.
Mark,
Do you mean Nanospectra Biosciences, Inc., Houston, Texas by any chance? I know some of their work. For example:
J. A. Schwartz et al., “Selective nanoparticle-directed ablation of the
canine prostate,” Lasers Surg. Med. 43(3), 213–220 (2011)
I'm really curious about possible delivery mechanisms which require specialized functionalization of the particle. All detection and therapy aside, how feasible would be to get the targeted delivery to the prostate, what biomarkers would you target? I guess, it might be an open ended question...
Merci Félix. I guess my real question is: Has somebody achieved it in vivo with a certain payload of Au NPs in the gland?
Serge, your later question is very pointed and perhaps the one you should have led with. To the best of my knowledge receptor specific targeting of AuNPs has not yet been achieved/published. PSMA as a potential target is interesting and in my opinion holds real potential. This specific area is a field I have been exploring in the UK for the past few years and I think we have identified a potential target. To the best of my knowledge the group highlighted by Mark are relaying on passive accumulation via EPR. Perhaps it would be useful if were to develop independent communication. On a separate issue I have recently been working with some of your Canadian colleagues in Toronto, Christine Allan and Rob Bristow. Hope to hear from you soon, J
Our group that includes chemists and urologists have begun to work on the development of platforms for nanomolecular treatment of prostate cancer. I have no doubt that this new approach will change the biologic course of the disease. You're on track, Serge!
there are always interesting in-vitro results but not in vivo!
I think you should consider what cell sees not what you see
We did not use gold, but used iron platinum nanoparticles. PSMA is your best target as it is highly over-expressed in prostate cancer but, for the most part, not found in other tissues to any large extent. We also looked at several other targets in one of my publications. I synthesized iron platinum core nanoparticles and then encapsulated them in a mixture of phospholipids and then conjugated monoclonal antibodies against PSMA to the surface. We saw significant contrast enhancement using MRI and we significantly inhibited the growth of prostate cancer xenografts in nude mice. I would encourage you to view some of my publications on this work.
I did target multiple myeloma affected mice with gold nanoparticles and the result was ammazing
Dear Eman,
Would you please explain more about your research and your findings. I appreciate if you send your paper.
For those who are interested, we've just published an article on optical detection of ~10^10 gold nanorods in a canine prostate ex vivo:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/262003897_Feasibility_of_interstitial_near-infrared_radiance_spectroscopy_platform_for_ex_vivo_canine_prostate_studies_optical_properties_extraction_hemoglobin_and_water_concentration_and_gold_nanoparticles_detection
Article Feasibility of interstitial near-infrared radiance spectrosc...
- Badges
- Science topic