Tel Aviv University researchers develop new cancer-fighting system - study

Researchers at Tel Aviv University have created a new platform to deliver two cancer-fighting drugs simultaneously to specific types of tumors, boosting treatment effectiveness while reducing side effects, according to a study published in Science Advances last week. 

The study was led by Prof. Ronit Satchi-Fainaro and doctoral student Shani Koshrovski-Michael from the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology at Tel Aviv University's School of Medicine. They were joined by additional professors from Tel Aviv University as well as researchers from the Israel Institute of Biological Research, Italy, Portugal, and the Netherlands. 

New drug delivery method

"Current cancer treatments often involve combinations of drugs," explained Prof. Ronit Satchi-Fainaro in a press release for the study.  

"However, due to differences in drug properties like degradation rates and circulation times, the drugs don't always reach the tumor at the same time. This means their combined effects aren't fully realized. Our new method ensures the drugs are delivered together, maximizing their therapeutic impact and minimizing toxicity."

The researchers developed nanoparticles, which dissolve into water and carbon dioxide within a month, to encapsulate two different drugs. 

These nanoparticles are guided to tumors by targeting P-selectin, a protein found on cancer cells as well as on new blood vessels formed by cancer cells to supply them with nutrients and oxygen.

Once there, the nanoparticles deliver FDA approved inhibitors used to treat skin cancer (BRAF and MEK) or inhibitors for breast cancer (PARP and PD-L1).

Tests on both 3D cancer cell models and animal models exhibited promising results:

• Tumors shrank significantly, prolonging the time to progression by 2.5 times compared to standard treatments.
• Mice treated with the nanoparticles lived twice as long as those receiving the free drugs and three times longer than untreated mice.
• The nanoparticles even crossed the blood-brain barrier, effectively treating brain metastases without damaging healthy brain tissue.

“We found that drug pairs delivered this way significantly enhanced their therapeutic effect in BRAF-mutated skin cancers and BRCA-mutated breast cancers and their brain metastases," said Prof. Satchi-Fainaro in the press release. 

Prof. Satchi-Fainaro explained that this new platform could be further adapted to treat other cancers, such as glioblastoma and pancreatic cancer, and opens up possibilities for advancing cancer therapy.