This technology is an intra-arterial drug delivery system in which sort cationic peptides are linked to cancer therapeutics, allowing the drugs to cross the blood-brain barrier and target negatively-charged solid tumors.
Tumor cell membranes are frequently negatively-charged due to overexpression of anionic lipids on the surface. As a result, cationic peptides such as trans-activating transcription factors (TAT) have been implemented as drug delivery vectors to target and penetrate tumor cells. However, intravenous (IV) administration of cationic delivery vectors can attenuate their surface charge due to interactions with serum proteins and immune cells in the blood, which diminishes their targeting capacity. As such, there is a need for a method that delivers peptide-drug conjugates while maintaining their tumor-penetrating positive charge.
This technology is an improved delivery method for peptide-drug conjugates that works by inducing a transient cardiac arrest (flow arrest) followed by injection of the cationic peptide-drug therapeutic into an artery (intra-arterial) in close proximity to the tumor of interest. Unlike IV administration that causes attenuation of the positively-charged peptide-drug conjugate, flow arrest intra-arterial delivery minimizes exposure of the delivery vehicle to elements in the blood that can decrease the delivery agent’s cationic nature and ability to target tumors. Consequently, this technology maintains the tumor-penetrating positive charge on the peptide-drug conjugate, enabling improved delivery of the therapeutic to the tumor of interest.
This technology has been validated in human cancer cell lines and in animal models.
Patent Pending
IR CU17144
Licensing Contact: Sara Gusik