Triple-patch combination therapy reduces tumors, prevents recurrence in colon cancer mice model -
Researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital have developed a patch of hydrogel which can adhere to tumors in a preclinical colon cancer model, delivery, a local combination therapy that the elastic gel is broken down over time. The new technique may one day enable clinicians use diagnostic colonoscopy equipment to provide treatment immediately without the need for open surgery at a later date. The team results are published in the July issue 25 Nature Materials
The researchers were able to offer three therapeutic strategies in their mouse model of colon cancer :. gene therapy, chemotherapy, or thermal ablation, or a combination of the three. The team used gold nanoparticles to deliver a gene therapy treatment that target Kras, a known cancer gene and used in the near infrared radiation to release a chemotherapeutic agent and cause damage to heat cancer cells. The local triple combination therapy not only shrank tumors but also had a lasting effect further, the prevention of recurrence of the tumor and significantly extend survival of mice.
The researchers examined the effects of therapy both with and without resection (surgical removal of the tumor), which is the current standard treatment for humans colon cancer. In cases where the rights of resection is not possible, neoadjuvant treatment, such as chemotherapy or radiation therapy, is often used to shrink tumors prior clinicians try to remove them. Natalie Artzi, PhD lead author of the study and senior researcher at BWH, and colleagues expect their hydrogel patch could one day be used to shrink tumors prior to resection and could eliminate the need for completely resected. They plan to test the equipment in the largest preclinical models and delve deeper into the genetic changes resulting from treatment to identify the genes that are most critical to target
"Our preclinical results are remarkable - . at the local aid, combined treatment, we obtained a complete remission of the tumor when the patch was applied to non resected tumor recurrence and tumor removal when applied after tumor resection, "he Artzi said. "Then we would use equipment colonoscopy to locally apply the patch for tumors in the major preclinical models. By using minimally invasive techniques to apply the patch triple therapy and assess its efficiency has the potential to improve clinical procedures and treatment outcomes. "
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