Vladimir Shalgunov
Towards Pretargeted Radionuclide Therapy of Tumors with Polypeptoid Graft Copolymers: Development of Strategies to Maximize Tumor-vs-Healthy Tissue Exposure Difference
Peptobrushes are novel polymers that preferentially accumulate in tumor tissue, and therefore bear high promise in a cancer treatment strategy called pretargeted radionuclide therapy. Small molecules carrying therapeutic radioactive isotopes can be guided by PeptoBrushes to the tumor. This project aims to optimize Peptobrush-based anti-tumor therapy by ensuring that as much injected radioactivity as possible gets trapped in the tumor rather than in healthy tissues. Two approaches to reach this goal will be tested in animals:
- physical removal from the bloodstream of Peptobrushes that failed to deposit themselves in the tumor
- deactivation of these non-targeted Peptobrushes, making them unable to bind radioisotope-carrying molecules
This should lead to an increased ratio between radioactivity doses delivered to tumor and healthy tissues. Our work will pave the way of Peptobrushes into the clinic and help increase effectiveness of cancer treatments.
Mentors
Basic Mentor: Associate Professor Matthias Herth, Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology (ILF), University of Copenhagen
Clinical Mentor: Professor Andreas Kjær, Nuclear Medicine and PET, Rigshospitalet