Small implant delivers treatment against tumours

In a paper published in Advanced Science, Houston Methodist Research Institute researchers used their implantable nanofluidic device to deliver CD40 monoclonal antibodies (mAb), said to be a promising immunotherapeutic agent, at a sustained low-dose via the nanofluidic drug-eluting seed (NDES). The result in murine models was tumour reduction at a fourfold lower dosage than traditional systemic immunotherapy treatment.

“One of the most exciting findings was that even though the NDES device was only inserted in one of two tumours in the same animal model, we noted shrinkage in the tumour without the device,” said Corrine Ying Xuan Chua, PhD, co-corresponding author and assistant professor of nanomedicine at Houston Methodist Academic Institute. “This means that local treatment with immunotherapy was able to activate the immune response to target other tumours. In fact, one animal model remained tumour-free for the 100-days of continued observation.”

According to Houston Methodist, immunotherapy holds promise in treating cancers that previously did not have good treatment options. However, because immunotherapy is delivered throughout the entire body, it causes many side effects. By focusing the delivery directly into the tumour, the body is protected from being exposed to toxic drugs and fewer side effects.

“Our goal is to transform the way cancer is treated. We see this device as a viable approach to penetrating the pancreatic tumour in a minimally invasive and effective manner, allowing for a more focused therapy using less medication,” said Alessandro Grattoni, PhD, co-corresponding author and chair of the Department of Nanomedicine at Houston Methodist Research Institute.

The NDES device consists of a stainless-steel drug reservoir containing nanochannels, creating a membrane that allows for sustained diffusion when the drug is released.

Medical technology companies already offer intratumoral drug-eluting implants for cancer therapeutics, but those are intended for shorter-duration use. The Houston Methodist nanofluidic device is intended for long-term controlled and sustained release, avoiding repeated systemic treatment.

Additional lab research is underway to determine the effectiveness and safety of this delivery technology, but researchers would like to see this become a viable option for cancer patients in the next five years.

This research received funding support from the Golfers Against Cancer and the US National Institutes of Health.