Multivalent iRGD-Biopolymers For Early Cancer Detection And Treatment

University of California System: University of California, San Francisco
posted on 05/19/2010

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BACKGROUND:   Pancreatic cancer strikes more than 42,000 Americans per year and claims over 35,000 lives annually. It is the fourth leading cause of cancer mortality in the United States. Early pancreatic cancer is frequently asymptomatic, thus resulting in malignant metastasizing tumors and poor prognosis by the time it is first detected. Unfortunately to date, there is no method for early detection of pancreatic cancer.   One of the hallmarks of early stage tumor growth is the continuous formation of new blood vessels by angiogenesis. It is thought that a v-integrins and their arginine-glycine-aspartate (RGD) binding peptide facilitate neovasculature growth, and thus are promising targets for early tumor detection.   TECHNOLOGY:    Scientists at UCSF have developed a novel imaging tool that takes advantage of a new tumor homing peptide (termed iRGD) and can be used with existing imaging modalities for early tumor detection. These multivalent iRGD-biopolymers bind to integrin-expressing tumor cells, and subsequently are internalized into tumor cells and tissues. Our investigators have observed iRGD-biopolymers selectively binding to pancreatic ductual carcinoma cells in an ex vivo animal model for pancreatic cancer. Furthermore, in live animal studies using optical and PET imaging technologies, iRGD-biopolymers specifically incorporated into tumor sites. 

• Early detection of pancreatic cancer, and possibly other epithelial cancers
• Targeted drug delivery to tumor cells
• Real-time monitoring of tumor growth and progression

•   Multivalent iRGD-biopolymers selectively target pancreatic ductal carcinoma cells
•   Improved homing of imaging probe to cancer tissues that cannot be achieved by native   peptide alone
•   Compatible with a diverse range of imaging techniques commonly used in the clinic