In the world of cancer treatment, patients with late-stage cancer often undergo multiple rounds of various treatments, some of which come with unwanted side effects and may not always yield the desired outcomes. That’s why researchers at MIT have developed tiny particles that can be implanted at tumor sites to deliver heat and chemotherapy simultaneously, offering new possibilities for patients with advanced tumors. This approach could potentially sidestep the side effects common with intravenous chemotherapy and provide a two-pronged attack on cancer cells, potentially extending patient survival.
The research team, led by MIT scientists Ana Jaklenec, Angela Belcher, Maria Kanelli, and Robert Langer, aimed to combine phototherapy and chemotherapy in a singular treatment modality, a concept that could streamline the treatment process for patients and possibly enhance its effectiveness through synergy. They utilized molybdenum sulfide as the material for phototherapy, converting laser light into heat efficiently, which enables the use of low-powered lasers. By incorporating this material with either the hydrophilic drug doxorubicin or the hydrophobic drug violacein, the team created microparticles capable of delivering both treatments simultaneously.
The microparticles, once injected into the tumor site, remain there throughout the treatment phase. An external near-infrared laser is then employed during each treatment cycle to heat the particles, which triggers the release of the chemotherapy drug held within the microparticles while also causing thermal ablation of the tumor cells. Through machine-learning algorithms, the researchers optimized the treatment protocol by determining the optimal laser power, irradiation time, and phototherapeutic agent concentration for the best outcomes, resulting in a laser treatment cycle lasting approximately three minutes.
Testing this approach in mice with aggressive types of cancer cells from triple-negative breast tumors, the researchers implanted microparticles and performed the laser treatment three times, observing complete eradication of tumors. The mice that received this treatment showed significantly increased survival rates compared to others that received chemotherapy or phototherapy alone or no treatment at all. The biocompatible polymer used to create the microparticles has already been FDA-approved for medical devices, paving the way for potential future clinical trials in larger animal models with the ultimate aim of assessing its efficacy in treating solid tumors, including metastatic tumors.
The synergy of combining phototherapy and chemotherapy in a single microparticle treatment offers an innovative approach to cancer treatment, potentially improving patient outcomes and quality of life while minimizing side effects associated with conventional treatments. This novel strategy, once validated through further studies and clinical trials, holds the promise of becoming a valuable tool in the fight against various types of solid tumors, providing new hope for patients with advanced cancer and limited treatment options. The use of machine-learning algorithms to optimize treatment parameters exemplifies the integration of cutting-edge technologies with medical breakthroughs to usher in a new era of cancer therapy.