Innovative Microparticles Deliver Combined Heat and Chemotherapy for Cancer Treatment

Patients facing late-stage cancer often endure various treatment regimens that can lead to numerous side effects, sometimes with limited effectiveness. To provide new hope for these patients, researchers at MIT have developed innovative tiny particles that can be implanted directly at tumor sites, delivering a combination of heat and chemotherapy.

Dual Therapy Minimizes Side Effects and Boosts Effectiveness

This dual therapy approach aims to minimize the side effects typically associated with intravenous chemotherapy. By harnessing the synergistic effects of both therapies, this method has the potential to extend patients’ lifespans more effectively than traditional single-treatment strategies. In animal studies, the particles demonstrated remarkable success in eradicating tumors and significantly enhancing survival rates.

“This technology could be particularly beneficial for controlling the rapid growth of aggressive tumors. Our goal is to provide patients with limited options the chance to improve their quality of life or even prolong it during treatment.” — Ana Jaklenec, MIT’s Koch Institute

Integrating Phototherapy with Chemotherapy

The research team, including senior authors Angela Belcher and Robert Langer, along with lead author Maria Kanelli, published their findings in ACS Nano. They explored ways to combine established treatments like chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation with a newer technique called phototherapy, which uses heated particles to target tumor cells while sparing healthy tissues.

Traditionally, phototherapy has utilized gold nanoparticles that emit heat when exposed to near-infrared light. The MIT team aimed to enhance this method by integrating chemotherapy into the treatment. They selected molybdenum sulfide as the phototherapeutic agent due to its efficient conversion of laser light into heat, allowing for the use of lower-powered lasers.

Advanced Particle Design and Activation

To create a microparticle capable of delivering both treatments, the researchers combined molybdenum disulfide nanosheets with either doxorubicin or violacein, drugs that are hydrophilic and hydrophobic, respectively. These components were mixed with a biocompatible polymer, polycaprolactone, and formed into microparticles that maintain their presence at the tumor site throughout treatment.

These specially designed cubic particles measure 200 micrometers in width. After injection into a tumor, an external near-infrared laser activates them, heating them to approximately 50 degrees Celsius. This temperature is sufficient to destroy tumor cells while also triggering the release of the chemotherapy drug from within the polymer matrix.

Machine Learning Enhances Treatment Precision

By employing machine-learning algorithms, the team optimized the laser parameters to achieve the best therapeutic outcomes. The result is a quick three-minute laser treatment cycle that not only facilitates localized chemotherapy but also enhances thermal ablation of cancer cells.

“This machine-learning-optimized system allows us to deliver low-dose, localized chemotherapy effectively while minimizing systemic toxicity compared to conventional methods,” states Neelkanth Bardhan, a research scientist involved in the study.

Promising Results and Future Directions

The efficacy of this microparticle treatment was tested in mice injected with aggressive triple-negative breast cancer cells. The results were promising: tumors were completely eliminated in treated mice, which lived significantly longer than those receiving single treatments or no treatment at all.

The biocompatible polymer used in these particles has received FDA approval for medical applications. Future research aims to test these innovative particles in larger animal models before advancing to clinical trials. The team envisions this dual therapy as a viable option for a wide range of solid tumors, including metastatic varieties.

This groundbreaking research was supported by multiple foundations and grants, reflecting a collaborative effort to improve cancer treatment outcomes.