A pipeline for discovery & applications for Brain-targeting nanoparticle drug delivery & Engineered therapeutics
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Poster presentation at Keystone Symposia on BBB penetrating nanobody project.
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The blood-brain barrier helps protect the brain by limiting what can pass from the bloodstream into the central nervous system. While this protection is important for health, it can also prevent treatments from reaching the areas where they are needed. As a result, developing treatments for the brain can be challenging because many of them cannot cross the blood-brain barrier in sufficient amounts to reach the brain.
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Abstract not provided
Not Available
Described herein is a chelator for radiolabels (e.g., 89Zr) for targeted PET imaging that is an alternative to DFO. In certain embodiments, the chelator for 89Zr is the ligand, 3,4,3-(LI-1,2-HOPO) (“HOPO”), which exhibits equal or superior stability compared to DFO in chemical and biological assays across a period of several days in vivo. As shown in FIG. 1, the HOPO is an octadentate chelator that stabilizes chelation of radiolabels (e.g., 89Zr). A bifunctional ligand comprising p-SCN-Bn-HOPO is shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5. Such a bifunctional ligand can eliminate (e.g., 89Zr) loss from the chelate in vivo and reduce uptake in bone and non-target tissue. Therefore, the bifunctional HOPO ligand can facilitate safer and improved PET imaging with radiolabeled antibodies.
The present invention relates, in part, to engineered viruses (e.g., engineered phages), phage cocktails, and methods of producing and/or identifying viruses for targeting pathogenic bacteria.
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A construct includes a core comprising an external surface and a plurality of pores, a cargo disposed in a pore of the plurality of pores, the cargo comprising a CRISPR Cas9 component or a nucleic acid sequence encoding a CRISPR Cas9 component; and a coating coupled to the core, wherein the coating comprises a cationic lipid, a pegylated lipid, a zwitterionic lipid, and a sterol. The coating may comprise a molar ratio of about 1 cationic lipid to 1 zwitterionic lipid to 0.9 sterol to 0.15 PEGylated lipid, wherein each molar ratio optionally varies by about plus or minus 10%. A method of treatment is also provided.
This project resulted in the synthesis and utility of new solid-phase extractants using diglycolamide (DGA) extractants grafted onto mesoporous silica. We used DGA ligands that offer multidentate coordination sites for lanthanides and offer pre-arranged binding sites that may facilitate radiolanthanide metal binding. Also, the Hunter graduate student worked at University of Utah on production and separation of 161 Tb with high specific activity resulting in a publication. These are reported in the full text upload.
The theranostic approach, which employs diagnostic radiopharmaceuticals to select patients who would benefit from targeted radiotherapy agents, has become an invaluable strategy for effective medical care. Scandium radionuclides offer the advantage of forming elementally matched and chemically identical diagnostic and therapeutic compounds, making them ideal candidates for this strategy. PSMA-617 is an established prostate-specific membrane antigen targeting agent and can be used as a proof of concept to investigate 43 Sc, the diagnostic nuclide, and 47 Sc, the therapeutic nuclide, as a theranostic pair. Methods: Cellular uptake, competitive binding assays, and internalization studies were carried out using LNCaP or PC-3 cell lines. [ 43 Sc]Sc-PSMA-617 was used in PET imaging studies in LNCaP or PC-3 tumor models, with time points ranging from 1–9 h. LNCaP tumor-bearing mice injected with [ 47 Sc]Sc-PSMA-617 were imaged using SPECT up to 48 h. A longitudinal study was carried out using LNCaP tumor-bearing mice imaged with [ 43 Sc]Sc-PSMA-617 prior to receiving a therapeutic dose of [ 47 Sc]Sc-PSMA-617. Results: 43 Sc and 47 Sc were incorporated into PSMA-617 at radiochemical yields of >99%. Cellular uptake studies demonstrated high uptake and specificity to PSMA receptors for [ 47 Sc]Sc-PSMA-617. In vivo PET studies showed specificity of [ 43 Sc]Sc-PSMA-617 while SPECT studies demonstrated tumor retention of [ 47 Sc]Sc-PSMA-617 up to 48 h. [ 47 Sc]Sc-PSMA-617 demonstrated therapeutic efficacy by delaying tumor growth and increasing survival rates from a single administered dose in xenograft models. More importantly, the PET results from [ 43 Sc]Sc-PSMA-617 PET were highly correlated with the therapeutic response from [ 47 Sc]Sc-PSMA-617, showing that 43 Sc PET data can predict therapeutic outcomes in individual animals from 47 Sc agents, even in animals sharing a genetic background and implanted with tumors from the same cell line. Conclusions: Two chemically identical, PSMA-targeting radioscandium pharmaceuticals demonstrated in vivo stability, specificity and retention in PSMA+ tumor models. A theranostic study showed that a higher 43 Sc PET SUVmean was strongly correlated to therapeutic response from the 47 Sc agent, demonstrating that 43 Sc and 47 Sc can be used as an elementally matched theranostic pair.
The clinical translation of many biomolecular therapeutics has been hindered by undesirable pharmacokinetic (PK) properties, inadequate membrane permeability, poor endosomal escape and cytosolic delivery, and/or susceptibility to degradation. Overcoming these challenges merits the development of nanoscale drug carriers (nanocarriers) to improve the delivery of therapeutic cargo. Herein, we implement a flash nanoprecipitation (FNP) approach to produce nanocarriers of diverse vesicular morphologies by using various molecular weight PEG-bl-DEAEMA-co-BMA (PEG-DB) polymers. We demonstrated that FNP can produce uniform (PDI < 0.1) particles after 5 impingements, and that by varying the copolymer hydrophilic mass fraction, FNP enables access to a diverse variety of nanoarchitectures including micelles, unilamellar vesicles (polymersomes), and multi-compartment vesicles (MCVs). We synthesized a library of 2 kDa PEG block copolymers, with DEAEMA-co-BMA second block molecular weights of 3, 6, 12, 15, 20, and 30 kDa. All formulations were both pH responsive, endosomolytic, and capable of loading and cytosolically delivering small negatively charged molecules – albeit to different degrees. Using a B16.F10 melanoma model, we showcased the therapeutic potential of a lead FNP formulated PEG-DB nanocarrier, encapsulating the cyclic dinucleotide (CDN) cGAMP to activate the stimulator of interferon genes (STING) pathway in a therapeutically relevant context. Collectively, these data demonstrate that an FNP process can be used to formulate pH-responsive nanocarriers of diverse morphologies using a PEG-DB polymer system. As FNP is an industrially scalable process, these data address the critical translational challenge of producing PEG-DB nanoparticles at scale. Furthermore, the diverse morphologies produced may specialize in the delivery of distinct biomolecular cargos for other therapeutic applications, implicating the therapeutic potential of this platform in an array of disease applications.
Various cancer therapies have been developed, but tumor recurrence with incomplete tumor killing and remaining tumor cells/tissues is frequent in monotherapies. Herein, a nano–bio therapeutic emulsion formulated with multifunctional nanoscintillators and anaerobic Clostridium novyi-NT spores for synergistic image-guided combinational cancer therapy is reported. MRI visible nanoscintillators (NSs) are synthesized with a NaGdF 4 :Tb,Ce@NaGdF 4 core/shell structure for an image-guided X-ray photodynamic therapy (PDT) of the normoxic peripheral tumor. An anaerobic oncolytic bacterium (C. novyi-NT) therapy is combined to treat the hypoxic central tumor tissues. Photosensitizer-coated NSs (PS-NSs) and C. novyi-NT spores are emulsified with clinically available ethiodized oil (Lipiodol) to be the nano–bio therapeutic emulsion and injected into the tumor with computed tomography image guidance. The distribution of nano–bio therapeutic emulsion, including PS-NSs and anaerobic C. novyi-NT spores in the tumor site, is confirmed by both X-ray and T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging. Following the image-guided X-ray PDT and anaerobic C. novyi- NT combination treatment, apoptotic cell death in cancer tissues, including both peripheral and central tumor regions, is significantly higher than in the control groups. Finally, this combination therapy approach using a nano–bio therapeutic emulsion is expected to overcome the limitations of conventional cancer therapy, resulting in increased cancer-therapeutic efficacy.
Inherent structural and functional properties of biotechnology-derived therapeutic biologics make them susceptible to light- and temperature-induced degradation and consequently can influence their quality. Photosensitivity of therapeutic proteins continues to be examined, but the commonalities and trends of storage conditions and information about light and temperature sensitivity among currently licensed therapeutic proteins has not been previously surveyed. Using a comprehensive and relational database approach, we conducted a scientific survey of all licensed biotechnology-derived drug products with the goal of providing evidence-based information about recommended storage conditions of formulations sorted by light- and temperature-related attributes as described for each product at licensure. We report the prevalence of indications for light and temperature sensitivity in formulations categorized by their presentation type, number of doses, container type, dosage form and active molecule type. We also report the storage temperature range across formulations and diluents for reconstitution and dilution. Formulations with excipients that potentially facilitate light-induced and thermal degradation were also noted. The result of our analysis indicates that light and temperature sensitivity are prevalent across therapeutic protein formulations. However, when a formulation is reconstituted or diluted, both light and temperature sensitivity are less clear. In addition, light and temperature sensitivity are more well defined in liquid formulations than lyophilized powder formulations, and more well defined in products manufactured in autoinjectors, prefilled-syringes, and pens than products in vials. Overall, our report provides a data-driven summary of storage conditions among therapeutic protein formulations to support the development of future biologic drug products.
FOLFOX is one of the most effective treatments for advanced colorectal cancer (CRC). However, cumulative oxaliplatin neurotoxicity often results in halting the therapy. Oxaliplatin functions predominantly via the formation of toxic covalent drug-DNA adducts. We hypothesize that oxaliplatin-DNA adduct levels formed in vivo in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) are proportional to tumor shrinkage caused by FOLFOX therapy. We further hypothesize that adducts induced by sub-therapeutic "diagnostic microdoses" are proportional to those induced by therapeutic doses and are also predictive of response to FOLFOX therapy. These hypotheses were tested in CRC cell lines and a pilot clinical study. Four CRC cell lines were cultured with therapeutically relevant (100 µM) or diagnostic microdose (1 µM) concentrations of [ 14 C]oxaliplatin. The C-14 label enabled quantification of oxaliplatin-DNA adduct level with accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS). Oxaliplatin-DNA adduct formation was correlated with oxaliplatin cytotoxicity for each cell line as measured by the MTT viability assay. Six CRC patients received by IV a diagnostic microdose containing [ 14 C]oxaliplatin prior to treatment, as well as a second [ 14 C]oxaliplatin dose during FOLFOX chemotherapy, termed a "therapeutic dose." Oxaliplatin-DNA adduct levels from PBMC correlated significantly to mean tumor volume change of evaluable target lesions (5 of the 6 patients had measurable disease). Finally, oxaliplatin-DNA adduct levels were linearly proportional between microdose and therapeutically relevant concentrations in cell culture experiments and patient samples, as was plasma pharmacokinetics, indicating potential utility of diagnostic microdosing.