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Quantum Grant Summary

Nanoparticles Visualize and Destroy Brain Tumors
Grant Number - 1R01EB007977

Principal Investigator
Raoul Kopelman, Ph.D.
University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, MI

A) T2 weighted MRI image of low grade glioma B) Gross appearance of tumor after surgical exposure: note the lack of distinction between neoplastic tissue and normal brain tissue C) Hypothetical delineation of tumor by targeted NPs

Over 20,000 people are diagnosed with central nervous system cancer in the United States each year, and for most, the prognosis is poor. Surgery is the front line treatment for brain tumors, but complete tumor removal is complicated by difficulty visualizing tumor tissue at the time of surgery.

A team of researchers at the University of Michgan and Roswell Park Cancer Institute is merging expertise in neurology, nanotechnology, and photodynamic therapy in an attempt to better visualize tumors, improve brain tumor resection, and eradicate residual tumor cells. To do this, they are working to design multifunctional nanoparticles able to travel through areas of the blood-brain barrier compromised by the tumor and selectively internalized by brain cancer cells. The nanoparticles will be linked to both a dye and a photosensitizer. The dye will allow surgeons to visualize the tumor during surgery, facilitating more complete resection. Following removal of the tumor, the photosensitizer would be activated by laser light, killing remaining tumor cells.

Abstract

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