Cationic liposome coupled endostatin gene for treatment of peritoneal colon cancer

Engineered liposomes mediated approach for targeted colorectal cancer drug Delivery: A review

Colorectal cancer (CRC) continues to be one of the most prevalent and deadliest forms of cancer worldwide, despite notable advancements in its management. The prognosis for metastatic CRC remains discouraging, with a relative 5-year survival rate for stage IV CRC patients. Conventional treatments for advanced malignancies such as chemotherapy, often face limitations in effectively targeting cancer cells resulting in off-target distribution and significant side effects. In the quest for better strategies, researchers have explored numerous alternatives. Among these, nanoparticles (NPs) specifically liposomes have emerged as one of the most promising candidates in developing targeted delivery systems for cancer therapeutics. This review discusses the current approaches employing functionalised liposomes to overcome major biological barriers in therapeutics delivery for CRC treatment. We have also shared our perspectives on the technological development of liposomes for future clinical use and highlighted a few useful insights on the material choices for future research work in CRC.

In vivo gene delivery mediated by non-viral vectors for cancer therapy

Gene therapy by expression constructs or down-regulation of certain genes has shown great potential for the treatment of various diseases. The wide clinical application of nucleic acid materials dependents on the development of biocompatible gene carriers. There are enormous various compounds widely investigated to be used as non-viral gene carriers including lipids, polymers, carbon materials, and inorganic structures. In this review, we will discuss the recent discoveries on non-viral gene delivery systems. We will also highlight the in vivo gene delivery mediated by non-viral vectors to treat cancer in different tissue and organs including brain, breast, lung, liver, stomach, and prostate. Finally, we will delineate the state-of-the-art and promising perspective of in vivo gene editing using non-viral nano-vectors.

Lipid-Based Drug Delivery Nanoplatforms for Colorectal Cancer Therapy

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a prevalent disease worldwide, and patients at late stages of CRC often suffer from a high mortality rate after surgery. Adjuvant chemotherapeutics (ACs) have been extensively developed to improve the survival rate of such patients, but conventionally formulated ACs inevitably distribute toxic chemotherapeutic drugs to healthy organs and thus often trigger severe side effects. CRC cells may also develop drug resistance following repeat dosing of conventional ACs, limiting their effectiveness. Given these limitations, researchers have sought to use targeted drug delivery systems (DDSs), specifically the nanotechnology-based DDSs, to deliver the ACs. As lipid-based nanoplatforms have shown the potential to improve the efficacy and safety of various cytotoxic drugs (such as paclitaxel and vincristine) in the clinical treatment of gastric cancer and leukemia, the preclinical progress of lipid-based nanoplatforms has attracted increasing interest. The lipid-based nanoplatforms might be the most promising DDSs to succeed in entering a clinical trial for CRC treatment. This review will briefly examine the history of preclinical research on lipid-based nanoplatforms, summarize the current progress, and discuss the challenges and prospects of using such approaches in the treatment of CRC.

Liposomal Nanostructures for Drug Delivery in Gastrointestinal Cancers

Gastrointestinal (GI) cancers like liver, pancreatic, colorectal, and gastric cancer remain some of the most difficult and aggressive cancers. Nanoparticles like liposomes had been approved in the clinic for cancer therapy dating as far back as 1995. Over the years, liposomal formulations have come a long way, facing several roadblocks and failures, and advancing by optimizing formulations and incorporating novel design approaches to navigate therapeutic delivery challenges. The first liposomal formulation for a GI cancer drug was approved recently in 2015, setting the stage for further clinical developments of liposome-based delivery systems for therapies against GI malignancies. This article reviews the design considerations and strategies that can be used to deliver drugs to GI tumors, the wide range of therapeutic agents that have been explored in preclinical as well as clinical studies, and the current therapies that are being investigated in the clinic against GI malignancies.

Animal models of colorectal peritoneal metastasis

Colorectal cancer remains an important cause of mortality worldwide. The presence of peritoneal carcinomatosis (PC) causes significant symptoms and is notoriously difficult to treat. Therefore, informative preclinical research into the mechanisms and possible novel treatment options of colorectal PC is essential in order to improve the prognostic outlook in these patients. Several syngeneic and xenograft animal models of colorectal PC were established, studying a wide range of experimental procedures and substances. Regrettably, more sophisticated models such as those giving rise to spontaneous PC or involving genetically engineered mice are lacking. Here, we provide an overview of all reported colorectal PC animal models and briefly discuss their use, strengths, and limitations.

Establishment of a novel method to evaluate peritoneal microdissemination and therapeutic effect using luciferase assay

Peritoneal dissemination is a major cause of recurrence in patients with malignant tumors in the peritoneal cavity. Effective anticancer agents and treatment protocols are necessary to improve outcomes in these patients. However, previous studies using mouse models of peritoneal dissemination have not detected any drug effect against peritoneal micrometastasis. Here we used the luciferase assay to evaluate peritoneal micrometastasis in living animals and established an accurate mouse model of early peritoneal microdissemination to evaluate tumorigenesis and drug efficacy. There was a positive correlation between luminescence intensity in in vivo luciferase assay and the extent of tumor dissemination evaluated by ex vivo luciferase assay and mesenteric weight. This model has advantages over previous models because optimal luciferin concentration without cell damage was validated and peritoneal microdissemination could be quantitatively evaluated. Therefore, it is a useful model to validate peritoneal micrometastasis formation and to evaluate drug efficacy without killing mice.

Ad-endostatin treatment combined with low-dose irradiation in a murine lung cancer model

Radiation therapy is a conventional strategy for treating advanced lung cancer yet is accompanied by serious side-effects. Its combination with other strategies, such as antiangiogenesis and gene therapy, has shown excellent prospects. As one of the potent endogenous vascular inhibitors, endostatin has been widely used in the antiangiogenic gene therapy of tumors. In the present study, LL/2 cells were infected with a recombinant adenovirus encoding endostatin (Ad-endostatin) to express endostatin. The results showed that LL/2 cells infected with the Ad-endostatin efficiently and longlastingly expressed endostatin. In order to further explore the role of Ad-endostatin combined with irradiation in the treatment of cancer, a murine lung cancer model was established and treated with Ad-endostatin combined with low-dose irradiation. The results showed that the combination treatment markedly inhibited tumor growth and metastasis, and prolonged the survival time of the tumor-bearing mice. Furthermore, this significant antitumor activity was associated with lower levels of microvessel density and anoxia factors in the Ad-Endo combined with irradiation group, and with an increased apoptotic index of tumor cells. In addition, no serious side-effects were noted in the combination group. Based on our findings, Ad-endostatin combined with low-dose irradiation may be a rational alternative treatment for lung cancer and other solid tumors.

Effect of tumor microenvironment on tumor VEGF during anti-VEGF treatment: systems biology predictions

BACKGROUND

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is known to be a potent promoter of angiogenesis under both physiological and pathological conditions. Given its role in regulating tumor vascularization, VEGF has been targeted in various cancer treatments, and anti-VEGF therapy has been used clinically for treatment of several types of cancer. Systems biology approaches, particularly computational models, provide insight into the complexity of tumor angiogenesis. These models complement experimental studies and aid in the development of effective therapies targeting angiogenesis.

METHODS

We developed an experiment-based, molecular-detailed compartment model of VEGF kinetics and transport to investigate the distribution of two major VEGF isoforms (VEGF121 and VEGF165) in the body. The model is applied to predict the dynamics of tumor VEGF and, importantly, to gain insight into how tumor VEGF responds to an intravenous injection of an anti-VEGF agent.

RESULTS

The model predicts that free VEGF in the tumor interstitium is seven to 13 times higher than plasma VEGF and is predominantly in the form of VEGF121 (>70%), predictions that are validated by experimental data. The model also predicts that tumor VEGF can increase or decrease with anti-VEGF treatment depending on tumor microenvironment, pointing to the importance of personalized medicine.

CONCLUSIONS

This computational study suggests that the rate of VEGF secretion by tumor cells may serve as a biomarker to predict the patient population that is likely to respond to anti-VEGF treatment. Thus, the model predictions have important clinical relevance and may aid clinicians and clinical researchers seeking interpretation of pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic observations and optimization of anti-VEGF therapies.

Application of liposomes in drug development--focus on gastroenterological targets

Over the past decade, liposomes became a focal point in developing drug delivery systems. New liposomes, with novel lipid molecules or conjugates, and new formulations opened possibilities for safely and efficiently treating many diseases including cancers. New types of liposomes can prolong circulation time or specifically deliver drugs to therapeutic targets. This article concentrates on current developments in liposome based drug delivery systems for treating diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. We will review different types and uses of liposomes in the development of therapeutics for gastrointestinal diseases including inflammatory bowel diseases and colorectal cancer.

Current translational and clinical practices in hematopoietic cell and gene therapy

Clinical trials over the last 15 years have demonstrated that cell and gene therapies for cancer, monogenic and infectious disease are feasible and can lead to long-term benefit for patients. However, these trials have been limited to proof-of-principle and were conducted on modest numbers of patients or over long periods of time. In order for these studies to move towards standard practice and commercialization, scalable technologies for the isolation, ex vivo manipulation and delivery of these cells to patients must be developed. Additionally, regulatory strategies and clinical protocols for the collection, creation and delivery of cell products must be generated. In this article we review recent progress in hematopoietic cell and gene therapy, describe some of the current issues facing the field and discuss clinical, technical and regulatory approaches used to navigate the road to product development.