Tumorgerichte nanobullets voor kankertherapie

Current cancer treatment is hampered by dose-limiting toxicities. Colloidal carrier systems can be used for encapsulating anti-cancer drugs to form nanomedicines. Nanomedicines are able to deliver more drug to tumours than the same dose administered as a free drug, while simultaneously reducing exposure of healthy tissues to the drug. We have pursued a nanomedicine approach to block multiple survival and proliferation signal transduction pathways in tumour cells at the same time. The nanomedicine termed nanobullet consisted of liposomes that are loaded with an IGF-1R kinase inhibitor and are equipped with anti-EGFR nanobodies as targeting ligands. In this manner, the nanobullets can interact with EGFR-positive tumour cells and block two cettular signalling routes that are essential for tumour proliferation to induce additive or synergistic therapeutic effects. The nanobullets interacted specifically with EGFR-positive cells and blocked both EGFR and IGF-1R signailing. In responsive cell lines, this resulted in inhibition of survival and proliferation signalling in tumour cells, and subsequently in anti-tumour effects in vitro and in vivo.