Report
Teaser, summary, work performed and final results
Periodic Reporting for period 2 - KILLCANCER (Nanobody-targeted photodynamic therapy to kill cancer)
Teaser
Current cancer therapies often fail to cure patients. Ideally, a cancer therapy should locally eradicate the cancer and should be capable of creating a memory to protect from recurrences. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a treatment approach in which cancer cells are killed with...
Summary
Current cancer therapies often fail to cure patients. Ideally, a cancer therapy should locally eradicate the cancer and should be capable of creating a memory to protect from recurrences.
Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a treatment approach in which cancer cells are killed with compounds, named photosensitizers that are activated locally through light exposure. Importantly, PDT eradication of cancers commonly involves the immune system. However, current PDT is only partly cancer specific and patients remain sensitive to light for several weeks.
Recently, I have developed an improved version of targeted PDT that uses very small antibodies, i.e. nanobodies, to target the photosensitizer. Nanobodies distribute homogenously, bind rapidly and specifically to cancer cells, resolving the issues of PDT.
Within the KILLCANCER project we have been focusing on better understanding the mechanism of nanobody-targeted PDT, its potential to induce tumor regression in vivo, and its capacity to trigger the immune system. In addition, we have been preparing for stepping into the veterinary clinic and test our treatment in spontaneously developing cancers in companion animals such as cats.
The outcome of this research will scientifically advance the new field of nanobody-targeted PDT, by providing essential information on its mechanism of action and the feasibility of this approach in human cancer patients, to ultimately improve current cancer treatment.
Work performed
Thus far, we have been able to:
- test the principle of nanobody-targeted photodynamic therapy with different molecular targets in vitro (i.e. tumor markers)
- observe the effects of nanobody-targeted PDT on cancer cells and normal tissue, in living animals
- demonstrate that some damage associated molecular patterns such as HSP70 are exposed or released after this treatment
- determine that EGFR is a relevant tumor marker in oral cancer in cats
Final results
We plan to continue our activities with:
- developing nanobodies for vascular targeted PDT
- assess the effect of the combination of cancer cell targeted and vascular targeted PDT, in vivo
- identify the immune effects triggered by nanobody-targeted PDT
- evaluate nanobody-targeted PDT in companion animals with spontaneously developed cancer