Hyperthermia-induced doxorubicin delivery from thermosensitive liposomes via MR-HIFU in a pig model.

Purpose: Encapsulation of cytotoxic drugs for a localized release is an effective way to increase the therapeutic window of such agents. In this article we present the localized release of doxorubicin (DOX) from phosphatidyldiglycerol (DPPG) based thermosensitive liposomes using MR-HIFU mediated hyperthermia in a swine model.

Materials And Methods: German landrace pigs of weights between 37.

Value of spectral detector computed tomography for assessment of pancreatic lesions.

Purpose: Dual energy CT (DECT) can contribute to the diagnosis of benign and malignant pancreatic lesions. This study examined whether a novel, detector-based spectral CT scanner (SDCT) may improve subjective assessment of different types of pancreatic lesions and if various quantitative maps may improve lesion contrast and differentiation.

Materials And Methods: 61 consecutive patients who underwent clinical, contrast-agent enhanced, abdominal SDCT scans and showed pancreatic lesions of different origins were included.

4D flow MRI for the analysis of celiac trunk and mesenteric artery stenoses.

Purpose: This study aims to assess the feasibility of 4D flow MRI measurements in complex vascular territories; namely, the celiac artery (CA) and superior mesenteric artery (SMA).

Materials And Methods: In this prospective study, 22 healthy volunteers and 10 patients were scanned at 3 T. Blood flow parameters were compared between healthy volunteers and patients with stenosis of the CA and/or SMA as a function of stenosis grade characterized by prior contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CE-CT).

Development of a liposome formulation for improved biodistribution and tumor accumulation of pentamidine for oncology applications.

Pentamidine isethionate, widely used for the treatment of parasitic infections, has shown strong anticancer activity in cancer cells and models of melanoma and lung cancer. Systemic administration of pentamidine is associated with serious toxicities, particularly renal, affecting as many as 95% of patients (O'Brien et al., 1997).

Spatial and temporal mapping of heterogeneity in liposome uptake and microvascular distribution in an orthotopic tumor xenograft model.

Existing paradigms in nano-based drug delivery are currently being challenged. Assessment of bulk tumor accumulation has been routinely considered an indicative measure of nanomedicine potency. However, it is now recognized that the intratumoral distribution of nanomedicines also impacts their therapeutic effect.

The challenges facing block copolymer micelles for cancer therapy: In vivo barriers and clinical translation.

The application of block copolymer micelles (BCMs) in oncology has benefitted from advances in polymer chemistry, drug formulation and delivery as well as in vitro and in vivo biological models. While great strides have been made in each of these individual areas, there remains some disappointment overall, citing, in particular, the absence of more BCM formulations in clinical evaluation and practice. In this review, we aim to provide an overview of the challenges presented by in vivo systems to the effective design and development of BCMs.

Image-based analysis of the size- and time-dependent penetration of polymeric micelles in multicellular tumor spheroids and tumor xenografts.

While the heightened tumor accumulation of systemically administered nanomedicines relative to conventional chemotherapeutic agents has been well established, corresponding improvements in therapeutic efficacy have often been incommensurate. This observation may be attributed to the limited exposure of cancer cells to therapy due to the heterogeneous intratumoral distribution and poor interstitial penetration of nanoparticle-based drug delivery systems. In the present work, the spatio-temporal distribution of block copolymer micelles (BCMs) of different sizes was evaluated in multicellular tumor spheroids (MCTS) and tumor xenografts originating from human cervical (HeLa) and colon (HT29) cancer cells using image-based, computational techniques.

Active targeting of block copolymer micelles with trastuzumab Fab fragments and nuclear localization signal leads to increased tumor uptake and nuclear localization in HER2-overexpressing xenografts.

Block copolymer micelles (BCMs) have been employed as effective drug delivery systems to solid tumors by virtue of their capacity to transport large therapeutic payloads and passively target tumor sites. Active targeting of nanoparticles (NPs) has been exploited as a means to increase the therapeutic efficacy of NP-based drugs by promoting their delivery to cellular sites of action. Effective whole tumor accumulation and cellular uptake constitute key objectives in the success of preclinical drug formulations, although they have seldom been investigated concurrently in vivo.