Title : Promise of new thermosensitive liposomes loaded with chemotherapeutic drugs for targeted cancer radiotherapy
Abstract:
The challenge and obstacle in chemotherapeutic strategy to cancer treatment consists mainly in the inadequate drug concentration at the tumor site in the body. Radiotherapy is the most common modality for cancer treatment but undesirable drug toxicity to normal tissues and unavailability of adequate drug concentration at the local tumor site results in sub-optimum treatment outcome in the clinic. Recent progress in research on the use of liposomes to encapsulate and deliver anticancer drugs to the tumor environment have offered new strategy to achieve the desired greater therapeutic outcomes. Our research group at Bhabha Atomic Research Center, Mumbai has undertaken to develop strategies for optimizing the tumor toxicities by designing liposomes which are long surviving and stable in the body circulation after administration and are capable of releasing the loaded anticancer drug to the intended organ site in response to local hyperthermia (thermosensitive liposomes) and open the new vistas to achieve targeted cancer radiotherapy.
The design and development of long surviving surface engineered liposomes and optimization of loading the anticancer drug, doxorubicin (DOX), in the new nanosized vesicles capable to release the cargo in response to hyperthermia. Subsequent delivery of therapeutic radiation dose to the site with adequate level of released chemo- drug is anticipated to help realize the dream of targeted cancer radiotherapy. Experimental results from our laboratory will be presented together with the relevant developments elsewhere in the world on the design and development of multi-stimuli responsive liposomes for targeted cancer radiotherapy.
