Technion researchers have developed nanoparticles that mimic macrophages and affect the tumor environment instead of carrying a drug. In experiments in cell cultures and mice, they inhibited triple-negative breast cancer tumors and altered the activity of immune cells around them.
An innovative technology developed at the Technion may lead to a fundamental change in the cancer treatment paradigm. Technion researchers have developed advanced nanoparticles that successfully inhibit aggressive breast cancer tumors – without releasing a single drug molecule. The particles interact intelligently with the immune system and change the rules of the game through a biological message they transmit to the tumor environment and immune system cells.
The study published in the prestigious scientific journal DHW Nano Led by doctoral student Ofri Wiesenblit, assisted by doctoral student Rowan Mahajna, and supervised by Dr. Assaf Singer - Head of the Laboratory for Nature-Inspired Nanoengineering and Development of Medical Technologies at the Wolfson Faculty of Chemical Engineering.
Triple Negative Breast Cancer is considered one of the most aggressive and difficult to treat types of cancer. It is characterized by rapid spread and high resistance to conventional treatments. The new paradigm presented by the Technion researchers is based on a revolutionary approach: instead of attacking the cancer cells themselves, it affects the environment in which they exist and develop.
Cancer cells recruit immune system cells to their side
Cancer cells have a variety of "strategies" for evading the immune system that is supposed to identify and destroy them. One of the main ones is the recruitment of immune system cells to their side. In these situations, white blood cells called macrophages – which are supposed to protect the body – are "hijacked" by the tumor, supporting its growth and preventing the immune system from attacking it effectively.
The nanoparticles developed by Technion researchers are called MPsomes and act as biological bait: they compete with immune system cells for binding sites in the tumor environment and block the harmful cells' path to the tumor.
The particles were tested in cell cultures and preclinical mouse models of triple-negative breast cancer. The results of the experiments showed that the particles accumulate in the tumor environment at extremely high concentrations and inhibit its growth with an efficiency that is not inferior to that of existing treatments. Another advantage that the researchers emphasized is the production capacity: the process developed at the Technion allows the preparation of approximately 20 ml of nanoparticles per minute (approximately 1.2 liters per hour)! Moreover, the particle base consists of materials that are mostly recognized as safe for use (Generally Recognized as Safe) by the FDA, a fact that may facilitate the transition to clinical trials and from there to medical use.
The results were particularly surprising: in experiments on mice, the particles not only accumulated in the tumor, but also inhibited its growth in a manner similar to the effect of advanced immunotherapies currently approved for clinical use – and all this without drugs, without chemotherapy, and without antibodies.
Turning side
“This is a conceptual shift,” the researchers explain. “The therapeutic efficacy does not stem from the release of an active substance but from the biological information encoded on the surface of the nanoparticle.” In other words, it is the interaction with the immune system that triggers the therapeutic effect.
In addition to inhibiting the tumor, the researchers showed that the particles change the composition of immune cells in the cancer environment: fewer cells that encourage tumor growth and more cells that attack it. In addition, no signs of toxicity were observed in vital organs.
The research is still in the preclinical stage and has only been tested in mouse models. However, the researchers hope that in the future it will be possible to advance to clinical trials and perhaps open the door to a new generation of cancer treatments, ones that do not rely on drugs at all.
Dr. Assaf Singer, graduated with a bachelor's degree from the Faculty of Biomedical Engineering at the Technion, and a doctorate from the Wolfson Faculty of Chemical Engineering. He returned to the Wolfson Faculty of Chemical Engineering as a faculty member in October 2021 after a postdoctoral fellowship at Houston Methodist Hospital in Texas. Ofri Wiesenblit, also a graduate of the Faculty of Biomedical Engineering at the Technion, joined the Singer Laboratory immediately after completing her bachelor's degree, and the current article is part of her doctoral thesis.
"Although we focused on a specific type of cancer here," concludes Dr. Singer, "this is a paradigmatic breakthrough that may change the world of medicine and lead to the development of new, more effective and safer therapeutic platforms, and I am hopeful that we will find a way to bring the invention to the clinic."
The research was supported by the Israel Cancer Research Foundation (ICRF), the National Science Foundation (ISF), the European Union (ERC-Starting Grant), the Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology (MOST), the Israel Cancer Association, the Russell Berry Institute for Nanotechnology at the Technion, as well as the Alon and Seiden Fellowships in Nanotechnology and Optoelectronics.
for the scientific article click here
Short questions and answers
What did the Technion researchers develop?
Nanoparticles called MPsomes, which are designed to affect the tumor environment and immune system cells without carrying an active drug.
What type of cancer was the technology tested on?
The particles were tested in models of Triple Negative breast cancer, which is considered an aggressive and difficult-to-treat type.
Is this a treatment that has already been tried in humans?
No. The research is in the preclinical stage and has been tested in cell cultures and mice only.
What is the main innovation in the research?
The particles do not work by releasing a drug, but rather by transmitting a biological message on their surface, which alters the immune system's response in the tumor environment.
More of the topic in Hayadan:
One response
Very interesting, especially because this approach seems very suitable for improvements by artificial intelligence.