Publications by authors named "Needa A Virani"
The greatest contributors to cancer mortality are metastasis and the consequences of its treatment. Here, we present a novel treatment of metastatic breast cancer that combines photothermal therapy with targeted single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) and immunostimulation with a checkpoint inhibitor. We find that the selective near-infrared photothermal ablation of primary orthotopic EMT6 breast tumors in syngeneic BALB/cJ mice using an annexin A5 (ANXA5) functionalized SWCNT bioconjugate synergistically enhances an anti-cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4 (anti-CTLA-4)-dependent abscopal response, resulting in an increased survival (55%) at 100 days after tumor inoculation.
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- Researchers have shown that targeting gold nanoparticles to blood vessels in tumors, followed by radiation therapy, disrupts tumor blood flow in mouse models of cancer.
- This study investigated how this disruption affects tumor oxygen levels over time, finding a significant increase in tumor hypoxia (lack of oxygen) two days after treatment, which returned to normal by day 13.
- The combination of gold nanoparticles and radiation therapy not only increased hypoxia but also significantly slowed tumor growth, marking a novel understanding of tumor physiology in response to this treatment approach.
A cost-effective method for serial in vivo imaging of tumor microvasculature has been developed. We evaluated acoustic angiography (AA) for visualizing and assessing non-small cell lung tumor (A549) microvasculature in mice before and after tumor vascular disruption by vascular-targeted gold nanoparticles and radiotherapy. Standard B-mode and microbubble-enhanced AA images were acquired at pre- and post-treatment time points.
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- About 75% of ovarian cancer cases are only diagnosed after the cancer has spread to the peritoneal cavity, leading to many patients developing terminal platinum-resistive tumors.
- A novel fusion protein, mCTH-ANXA5, has been created for treating recurrent, metastatic ovarian cancer by combining a tumor-targeting protein with an enzyme that produces a toxic compound to kill tumor cells.
- Combining mCTH-ANXA5 with anti-CD73 and anti-OX40 immunostimulants showed a 100% increase in survival time in mice and improved immune responses against the tumors, showcasing a promising multi-drug treatment approach.
Bladder cancer has a 60%-70% recurrence rate most likely due to any residual tumour left behind after a transurethral resection (TUR). Failure to completely resect the cancer can lead to recurrence and progression into higher grade tumours with metastatic potential. We present here a novel therapy to treat superficial tumours with the potential to decrease recurrence.
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