This week we profile a recent publication in Biomaterials from the laboratory
of Dr. Shyh-Dar Li at the University of British Columbia.
Can you provide a brief overview of your current research focus?
My lab at UBC Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences focuses on developing innovative drug delivery technologies to enhance drug efficacy and reduce the side effects. We are particularly interested in applying chemical, pharmaceutical and microfluidic technologies to synthesize compounds and fabricate lipid- and polymer-based nanoparticles for drug targeting. Specific applications include tumor theranostics, multidrug resistant cancer therapy, localized immunotherapy of cancer, tumor microenvironment modulation, non-invasive imaging of progression of Alzheimer’s disease, brain penetration of biologics, kidney-targeted delivery, oral pediatric formulation, in vivo gene delivery and genome editing.
What is the significance of the findings in this publication?
This work focused on developing a new drug that targeted metastatic tumor nodules exhibiting a multidrug resistant (MDR) phenotype. The results showed that this new compound displayed a half-life of 12 h and selectively targeted the tumor nodules compared to the adjacent normal tissue, significantly prolonging the survival of mice bearing metastatic MDR tumors in mice models of advanced breast and ovarian cancers. This new drug was well-tolerated without inducing any significant damage to normal tissues in mice. There are limited therapeutic options for patients with metastatic MDR tumors, and this new drug may be further developed to overcome this unmet challenge.
Briefly, what are the next steps for this research?
We would like to establish partnerships to pursue IND-enabling activities, including scale-up manufacturing with QA/QC standards and GLP toxicology.
This research was supported by:
Canadian Institutes of Health Research, National Institutes of Health, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, UBC Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Angiotech Professorship in Drug Delivery.
