An innovative targeted therapeutic approach to treat patients affected by osteosarcoma.
Drug delivery is a significant challenge in modern medical research, especially when it comes to treating tumors. Scientists at ISOF and IOR (Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli) are making exciting progress in the fight against the bone cancer osteosarcoma (OS). Their groundbreaking study, the last after several publications in this field, was just published in Advanced Therapeutics journal. This work introduces a new approach using tiny particles made of keratin and containing two drugs: paclitaxel, a well-known anti-cancer drug, and Chlorine e6, a molecule capable of inducing cell-killing upon light irradiation. To ensure these nanoparticles reach the tumor site effectively, the researchers needed a precise delivery system. They found a promising solution in Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs), a specific type of stem cell that acts like “postmen” to carry the nanoparticles to the tumor. When the nanoparticle-loaded MSCs were injected into an osteosarcoma tridimensional model and exposed to light, an impressive 90% of the tumor was destroyed! On a living model, however, the approach loses some of its efficiency: to reduce a tumor in vivo by 90%, it is necessary to inject a dose of MSCs that is 35% of the total tumor volume. So this approach becomes very useful in postoperative treatments of for treating small lung metastases, the main cause of patient’s death, but more research is needed to transform it into an effective cure against primary osteosarcomas