A technology platform to assess multiple cancer agents simultaneously within a patient’s tumor

A fundamental problem in cancer drug development is that antitumor efficacy in preclinical cancer models does not translate faithfully to patient outcomes. Much of early cancer drug discovery is performed under in vitro conditions in cell-based models that poorly represent actual malignancies. To address this inconsistency, we have developed a technology platform called CIVO, which enables simultaneous assessment of up to eight drugs or drug combinations within a single solid tumor in vivo. The platform is currently designed for use in animal models of cancer and patients with superficial tumors but can be modified for investigation of deeper-seated malignancies. In xenograft lymphoma models, CIVO microinjection of well-characterized anticancer agents (vincristine, doxorubicin, mafosfamide, and prednisolone) induced spatially defined cellular changes around sites of drug exposure, specific to the known mechanisms of action of each drug. The observed localized responses predicted responses to systemically delivered drugs in animals. In pair-matched lymphoma models, CIVO correctly demonstrated tumor resistance to doxorubicin and vincristine and an unexpected enhanced sensitivity to mafosfamide in multidrug-resistant lymphomas compared with chemotherapy-naïve lymphomas. A CIVO-enabled in vivo screen of 97 approved oncology agents revealed a novel mTOR (mammalian target of rapamycin) pathway inhibitor that exhibits significantly increased tumor-killing activity in the drug-resistant setting compared with chemotherapy-naïve tumors. Finally, feasibility studies to assess the use of CIVO in human and canine patients demonstrated that microinjection of drugs is toxicity-sparing while inducing robust, easily tracked, drug-specific responses in autochthonous tumors, setting the stage for further application of this technology in clinical trials.

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Combining CRISPR/Cas9 mutagenesis and a small-molecule inhibitor to probe the function of MELK in cancer

10.1101/203984 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

Christopher J. Giuliano ◽

Ann Lin ◽

Joan C. Smith ◽

Ann C. Palladino ◽

Jason M. Sheltzer

Keyword(s):

Drug Targets ◽

Leucine Zipper ◽

Chemotherapy Resistance ◽

Cancer Drug ◽

Cell Renewal ◽

Multiple Cancer ◽

Clinical Prognosis ◽

Phenotype Analysis

AbstractThe Maternal Embryonic Leucine Zipper Kinase (MELK) has been identified as a promising therapeutic target in multiple cancer types. MELK over-expression is associated with aggressive disease, and MELK has been implicated in numerous cancer-related processes, including chemotherapy resistance, stem cell renewal, and tumor growth. On the basis of these findings, a MELK inhibitor is currently being tested in several clinical trials. Here, we report that cancer cell lines harboring CRISPR/Cas9-induced null mutations in MELK exhibit wild-type growthin vitro, under environmental stress, in the presence of multiple chemotherapy agents, andin vivo. By combining our MELK-knockout clones with a recently-described, highly-specific MELK inhibitor, we further demonstrate that the acute inhibition of MELK results in no specific anti-proliferative phenotype. Analysis of gene expression data from cohorts of cancer patients identifies MELK expression as a correlate of tumor mitotic activity, explaining its association with poor clinical prognosis. In total, our results demonstrate the power of CRISPR/Cas9-based genetic approaches to investigate cancer drug targets, and call into question the rationale for treating patients with anti-MELK monotherapies.

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Characterization and toxicity of citral incorporated with nanostructured lipid carrier

PeerJ ◽

10.7717/peerj.3916 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 6 ◽

pp. e3916 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Noraini Nordin ◽

Swee Keong Yeap ◽

Nur Rizi Zamberi ◽

Nadiah Abu ◽

Nurul Elyani Mohamad ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Drug Delivery ◽

Drug Delivery System ◽

Delivery System ◽

Anticancer Agents ◽

Drug Loading ◽

Cancer Drug ◽

Nanostructured Lipid Carrier ◽

Tem Analysis

The nanoparticle as a cancer drug delivery vehicle is rapidly under investigation due to its promising applicability as a novel drug delivery system for anticancer agents. This study describes the development, characterization and toxicity studies of a nanostructured lipid carrier (NLC) system for citral. Citral was loaded into the NLC using high pressure homogenization methods. The characterizations of NLC-citral were then determined through various methods. Based on Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) analysis, NLC-Citral showed a spherical shape with an average diameter size of 54.12 ± 0.30 nm and a polydipersity index of 0.224 ± 0.005. The zeta potential of NLC-Citral was −12.73 ± 0.34 mV with an entrapment efficiency of 98.9 ± 0.124%, and drug loading of 9.84 ± 0.041%. Safety profile of the formulation was examined viain vitroandin vivoroutes to study its effects toward normal cells. NLC-Citral exhibited no toxic effects towards the proliferation of mice splenocytes. Moreover, no mortality and toxic signs were observed in the treated groups after 28 days of treatment. There were also no significant alterations in serum biochemical analysis for all treatments. Increase in immunomodulatory effects of treated NLC-Citral and Citral groups was verified from the increase in CD4/CD3 and CD8/CD3 T cell population in both NLC-citral and citral treated splenocytes. This study suggests that NLC is a promising drug delivery system for citral as it has the potential in sustaining drug release without inducing any toxicity.

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Smart stimuli-responsive biofunctionalized niosomal nanocarriers for programmed release of bioactive compounds into cancer cells in vitro and in vivo

Nanotechnology Reviews ◽

10.1515/ntrev-2021-0119 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

pp. 1895-1911

Author(s):

Najmeh Alsadat Abtahi ◽

Seyed Morteza Naghib ◽

Fatemeh Haghiralsadat ◽

Javad Zavar Reza ◽

Fatemeh Hakimian ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cancer Cells ◽

Anticancer Agents ◽

Tumor Model ◽

Tween 80 ◽

Chemotherapeutic Agents ◽

Cancer Drug ◽

Mouse Tumor ◽

Transfection Efficacy

Abstract Cancer treatment is challenging due to late-stage diagnosis, drug resistance and systemic toxicity of chemotherapeutic agents. The formulation of the drug into nanoparticles (NPs) can enhance the treatment efficacy and effectiveness. Therefore, a new cationic niosomal formulation, which contains Tween 80, Tween 60, cholesterol and lysine amino acid as a platform model to enhance transfection efficacy and reach more acceptable stability, and curcumin (Cur) as a biological anti-cancer drug, are introduced. Here, the authors focused on the design and synthesis of novel lysine-mediated niosomal NPs for the effectual and controlled release of the antitumor agent, Cur, and turned to optimize niosome formulations, concerning the volume of cholesterol and surfactant to implement these anticancer agents, simultaneously. The characterization of NPs s was carried out and the results showed the successful synthesis of Cur-entrapped niosomal NPs with high efficacy, sufficient positive charges and a favorable size (95/33 nm). The in vitro studies have been performed to investigate the cytotoxicity, cellular uptake and apoptosis of normal and cancer cells treated by black niosome, free Cur and niosom-loaded Cur. The results showed that implementing agents by niosome caused enhanced cytotoxicity, uptake and anticancer activity in cancer cells in comparison with normal cells. Furthermore, the effect of this nanodrug was surveyed on the 4T1 xenografted Balb/C mouse tumor model. Cur delivery to cancer models caused a higher tumor inhibition rate than in other groups.

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Modeling Pharmacokinetic Profiles for Assessment of Anti-Cancer Drug on a Microfluidic System

Micromachines ◽

10.3390/mi11060551 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (6) ◽

pp. 551

Author(s):

Yaqiong Guo ◽

Pengwei Deng ◽

Wenwen Chen ◽

Zhongyu Li

Keyword(s):

Drug Administration ◽

Drug Concentration ◽

Drug Exposure ◽

Microfluidic System ◽

Cancer Drug ◽

Target Cells ◽

Anti Cancer ◽

Pharmaceutical Activity

The pharmacokinetic (PK) properties of drug, which include drug absorption and excretion, play an important role in determining the in vivo pharmaceutical activity. However, current in vitro systems that model PK profiles are often limited by the in vivo-like concentration profile of a drug. Herein, we present a perfused and multi-layered microfluidic chip system to model the PK profile of anti-cancer drug 5-FU in vitro. The chip device contains two layers of culture channels sandwiched by a porous membrane, which allows for drug exposure and diffusion between the two channels. The integration of upper intestine cells (Caco-2) and bottom targeted cells within the device enables the generation of loading and clearance portions of a PK curve under peristaltic flow. Fluorescein as a test molecule was initially used to generate a concentration-time curve, investigating the effects of parameters of flow rate, administration time, and initial concentration on dynamic drug concentration profiles. Furthermore, anti-cancer drug 5-FU was performed to assess its pharmaceutical activity on target cells (human lung adenocarcinoma cells or human pulmonary alveolar epithelial cells) using different drug administration regimens. A dynamic, in vivo-like 5-FU exposure refers to PK profile regimen, led to generate a lower drug concentration (dynamically fluctuate from 0 to 1 μg/mL affected by absorption) compared to the constant exposure. Moreover, the PK profile regimen alleviates the drug-induced cytotoxicity on target cells. These results demonstrate the feasibility of determining the PK profiles using this microfluidic system with in vivo-like drug administration regimens. This established system may provide a powerful platform for the prediction of drug safety and effectiveness in the pharmaceutical research.

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Scutellaria baicalensis and Cancer Treatment: Recent Progress and Perspectives in Biomedical and Clinical Studies

The American Journal of Chinese Medicine ◽

10.1142/s0192415x18500027 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 46 (01) ◽

pp. 25-54 ◽

Cited By ~ 29

Author(s):

Chien-Shan Cheng ◽

Jie Chen ◽

Hor-Yue Tan ◽

Ning Wang ◽

Zhen Chen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Anticancer Agents ◽

Molecular Mechanisms ◽

Scutellaria Baicalensis ◽

Multiple Cancer ◽

Traditional Use ◽

Research Attention ◽

Underlying Mechanisms ◽

History Of Use

Scutellaria baicalensis (Huangqin in Chinese) is a major traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) herb, which has a long history of use in the treatment of a variety of symptoms correlated with cancer. In the past decade, the potential of S. baicalensis and single compounds derived from it as anticancer agents targeting various pathways has received extensive research attention. Specifically, the proliferation and metastases inhibiting properties of the single compounds in cancer have been studied; however, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. This review summarizes the various mechanisms, pathways and molecular targets involved in the anticancer activity of S. baicalensis and its single compounds. However, the aim of this review is to provide a more thorough view of the last 10 years to link traditional use with modern research and to highlight recently discovered molecular mechanisms. Extracts and major flavonoids derived from S. baicalensis have been found to possess anticancer effects in multiple cancer cell lines both in vitro and in vivo. Further investigation is warranted to better understand the underlying mechanisms and to discover novel targets and cancer therapeutic drugs that may improve both the survival and quality of life of cancer patients.

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MELK expression correlates with tumor mitotic activity but is not required for cancer growth

eLife ◽

10.7554/elife.32838 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 7 ◽

Cited By ~ 35

Author(s):

Christopher J Giuliano ◽

Ann Lin ◽

Joan C Smith ◽

Ann C Palladino ◽

Jason M Sheltzer

Keyword(s):

Mitotic Activity ◽

Cancer Drug ◽

Breast Cancer Cell Lines ◽

Cell Renewal ◽

Wild Type ◽

Multiple Cancer ◽

Clinical Prognosis ◽

Cancer Types

The Maternal Embryonic Leucine Zipper Kinase (MELK) has been identified as a promising therapeutic target in multiple cancer types. MELK over-expression is associated with aggressive disease, and MELK has been implicated in numerous cancer-related processes, including chemotherapy resistance, stem cell renewal, and tumor growth. Previously, we established that triple-negative breast cancer cell lines harboring CRISPR/Cas9-induced null mutations in MELK proliferate at wild-type levels in vitro (<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="bib34">Lin et al., 2017</xref>). Here, we generate several additional knockout clones of MELK and demonstrate that across cancer types, cells lacking MELK exhibit wild-type growth in vitro, under environmental stress, in the presence of cytotoxic chemotherapies, and in vivo. By combining our MELK-knockout clones with a recently described, highly specific MELK inhibitor, we further demonstrate that the acute inhibition of MELK results in no specific anti-proliferative phenotype. Analysis of gene expression data from cohorts of cancer patients identifies MELK expression as a correlate of tumor mitotic activity, explaining its association with poor clinical prognosis. In total, our results demonstrate the power of CRISPR/Cas9-based genetic approaches to investigate cancer drug targets, and call into question the rationale for treating patients with anti-MELK monotherapies.

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Current Status and Future Perspective for Research on Medicinal Plants with Anticancerous Activity and Minimum Cytotoxic Value

Current Drug Targets ◽

10.2174/1389450120666190429120314 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 20 (12) ◽

pp. 1227-1243

Author(s):

Hina Qamar ◽

Sumbul Rehman ◽

D.K. Chauhan

Keyword(s):

Side Effects ◽

Medicinal Plants ◽

Anticancer Agents ◽

Drug Targets ◽

Psidium Guajava ◽

Current Status ◽

Future Perspective ◽

Wide Range

Cancer is the second leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Although chemotherapy and radiotherapy enhance the survival rate of cancerous patients but they have several acute toxic effects. Therefore, there is a need to search for new anticancer agents having better efficacy and lesser side effects. In this regard, herbal treatment is found to be a safe method for treating and preventing cancer. Here, an attempt has been made to screen some less explored medicinal plants like Ammania baccifera, Asclepias curassavica, Azadarichta indica, Butea monosperma, Croton tiglium, Hedera nepalensis, Jatropha curcas, Momordica charantia, Moringa oleifera, Psidium guajava, etc. having potent anticancer activity with minimum cytotoxic value (IC50 >3μM) and lesser or negligible toxicity. They are rich in active phytochemicals with a wide range of drug targets. In this study, these medicinal plants were evaluated for dose-dependent cytotoxicological studies via in vitro MTT assay and in vivo tumor models along with some more plants which are reported to have IC50 value in the range of 0.019-0.528 mg/ml. The findings indicate that these plants inhibit tumor growth by their antiproliferative, pro-apoptotic, anti-metastatic and anti-angiogenic molecular targets. They are widely used because of their easy availability, affordable price and having no or sometimes minimal side effects. This review provides a baseline for the discovery of anticancer drugs from medicinal plants having minimum cytotoxic value with minimal side effects and establishment of their analogues for the welfare of mankind.

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Alkaloids as Anticancer Agents: A Review of Chinese Patents in Recent 5 Years

Recent Patents on Anti-Cancer Drug Discovery ◽

10.2174/1574892815666200131120618 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 15 (1) ◽

pp. 2-13 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Hongyu Tao ◽

Ling Zuo ◽

Huanli Xu ◽

Cong Li ◽

Gan Qiao ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Anticancer Activity ◽

Anticancer Agents ◽

Kinase Inhibitors ◽

Protein Kinase Inhibitors ◽

Cdk Inhibitors ◽

Comprehensive Overview ◽

P53 Expression ◽

Study Results

Background: In recent years, many novel alkaloids with anticancer activity have been found in China, and some of them are promising for developing as anticancer agents. Objective: This review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the information about alkaloid anticancer agents disclosed in Chinese patents, and discusses their potential to be developed as anticancer drugs used clinically. Methods: Anticancer alkaloids disclosed in Chinese patents in recent 5 years were presented according to their mode of actions. Their study results published on PubMed, and SciDirect databases were presented. Results: More than one hundred anticancer alkaloids were disclosed in Chinese patents and their mode of action referred to arresting cell cycle, inhibiting protein kinases, affecting DNA synthesis and p53 expression, etc. Conclusion: Many newly found alkaloids displayed potent anticancer activity both in vitro and in vivo, and some of the anticancer alkaloids acted as protein kinase inhibitors or CDK inhibitors possess the potential for developing as novel anticancer agents.

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MBRS-48. IDENTIFICATION OF NOVEL THERAPEUTIC APPROACHES FOR MYC-DRIVEN MEDULLOBLASTOMA

Neuro-Oncology ◽

10.1093/neuonc/noaa222.557 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 22 (Supplement_3) ◽

pp. iii406-iii406

Author(s):

Kübra Taban ◽

David Pauck ◽

Mara Maue ◽

Viktoria Marquardt ◽

Hua Yu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

New Drugs ◽

Current Therapy ◽

Cancer Drug ◽

Mrna Levels ◽

Cell Models ◽

Therapeutic Approaches ◽

Group 3 ◽

Novel Therapeutic

Abstract Medulloblastoma (MB) is the most common malignant brain tumor in children and is frequently metastatic at diagnosis. Treatment with surgery, radiation and multi-agent chemotherapy may leave survivors of these brain tumors with long-term deficits as a consequence. One of the four consensus molecular subgroups of MB is the MYC-driven group 3 MB, which is the most malignant type and has a poor prognosis under current therapy. Thus, it is important to discover more effective targeted therapeutic approaches. We conducted a high-throughput drug screening to identify novel compounds showing efficiency in group 3 MB using both clinically established inhibitors (n=196) and clinically-applicable compounds (n=464). More than 20 compounds demonstrated a significantly higher anti-tumoral effect in MYChigh (n=7) compared to MYClow (n=4) MB cell models. Among these compounds, Navitoclax and Clofarabine showed the strongest effect in inducing cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in MYChigh MB models. Furthermore, we show that Navitoclax, an orally bioavailable and blood-brain barrier passing anti-cancer drug, inhibits specifically Bcl-xL proteins. In line, we found a significant correlation between BCL-xL and MYC mRNA levels in 763 primary MB patient samples (Data source: “R2 https://hgserver1.amc.nl”). In addition, Navitoclax and Clofarabine have been tested in cells obtained from MB patient-derived-xenografts, which confirmed their specific efficacy in MYChigh versus MYClow MB. In summary, our approach has identified promising new drugs that significantly reduce cell viability in MYChigh compared to MYClow MB cell models. Our findings point to novel therapeutic vulnerabilities for MB that need to be further validated in vitro and in vivo.

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Nanoparticle T-cell engagers as a modular platform for cancer immunotherapy

Leukemia ◽

10.1038/s41375-021-01127-2 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Kinan Alhallak ◽

Jennifer Sun ◽

Katherine Wasden ◽

Nicole Guenthner ◽

Julie O’Neal ◽

...

Keyword(s):

T Cells ◽

T Cell ◽

Tumor Escape ◽

Multiple Cancer ◽

Cancer Antigen ◽

Cancer Antigens ◽

Car T ◽

Modular Platform

AbstractT-cell-based immunotherapy, such as CAR-T cells and bispecific T-cell engagers (BiTEs), has shown promising clinical outcomes in many cancers; however, these therapies have significant limitations, such as poor pharmacokinetics and the ability to target only one antigen on the cancer cells. In multiclonal diseases, these therapies confer the development of antigen-less clones, causing tumor escape and relapse. In this study, we developed nanoparticle-based bispecific T-cell engagers (nanoBiTEs), which are liposomes decorated with anti-CD3 monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) targeting T cells, and mAbs targeting the cancer antigen. We also developed a nanoparticle that targets multiple cancer antigens by conjugating multiple mAbs against multiple cancer antigens for T-cell engagement (nanoMuTEs). NanoBiTEs and nanoMuTEs have a long half-life of about 60 h, which enables once-a-week administration instead of continuous infusion, while maintaining efficacy in vitro and in vivo. NanoMuTEs targeting multiple cancer antigens showed greater efficacy in myeloma cells in vitro and in vivo, compared to nanoBiTEs targeting only one cancer antigen. Unlike nanoBiTEs, treatment with nanoMuTEs did not cause downregulation (or loss) of a single antigen, and prevented the development of antigen-less tumor escape. Our nanoparticle-based immuno-engaging technology provides a solution for the major limitations of current immunotherapy technologies.

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