Available Technology
Nanoparticle targeting to ischemia or Cancer for imaging and therapy
Technology:
Scientist at the Mooney lab demonstrated that certain nanoparticles concentrate in areas of leaky vasculature. They coupled these nanoparticles with angiogenesis-promoting factors. The nanoparticle can ferry these factors to the site of ischemia to stimulate the growth of additional blood vessels, thus relieving the ischemic condition. The nanoparticle could also be attached to a fluorescent label, allowing imaging of affected areas. This would allow faster identification of ischemic regions, possibly before they become symptomatic for the patient.
Markets Addressed
Potential applications for this invention are as follows:
Diagnosis and treatment of ischemia: It can be applied to various types of ischemia, including cerebrovascular ischemia, renal ischemia, limb ischemia, ischemic cardiomyopathy, and myocardial ischemia. The nanoparticles can be coupled with fluorescent dyes, radioactive molecules, or paramagnetic compounds, for use with various methods of imaging.
Diagnosis and treatment of Cancer: Tumor microenvironment is often characterized in aggressive growth of new, aberrant blood vessels. These nanoparticles can be used to transport anti-angiogenic or anti-tumor proteins to tumors. Similarly, these nanoparticles could also be useful for diagnosing tumors that have leaky blood vessels, which are more likely of forming metastases.
Innovations and Advantages
Ischemia occurs when blood flow and oxygen are prevented from reaching a part of the body. This can occur in many different locations, including the brain, the heart, the intestines, or the limbs. Within a relatively short amount of time, untreated ischemia can lead death at the site of injury, and a growing circle of damage in neighboring cells.
Both diagnostic and treatment modalities are highly invasive and rely on the fast identification of the pathology and its anatomic location:
Ischemia diagnosis can be quite difficult; arteriograms are commonly used, involving dye injection through catheters into blood vessels and x-rays for observing blood flow. Treatment is aimed at removal of the blood clot which is the direct cause of ischemia.
Success rate of interventional therapies is also time sensitive and depends highly on immediate symptom detection. Conventional methods include TPA, which dissolves the blot clot and can be administered intravenously or directly into ischemic site, and emergency surgery that aims at removing the clot or graft bypass vessels to restore blood flow.
There is a need for faster and less invasive imaging methods for identifying tissues affected by ischemia, as well as a need for targeted treatments that will minimize damage to the surrounding area and promote tissue healing.
This method uses nanoparticles for protein delivery, which could be made out of a wide variety of materials. Accumulating in areas of leaky blood vessels is often observed in Liposomes have previously been used to target ischemic myocardial tissue.
In addition, angiogenesis-promoting factors are well known. However, liposomes have not yet been combined with therapeutic molecules.
Additional Information
Intellectual Property Status: Patent(s) pending
A provisional patent application for this technology has been filed. This technology is available for worldwide, exclusive licensing and/or a collaborative research program with the Mooney lab.
Tweet
Inventor(s):
Cao, Lan
Kim, Jaeyun
Mooney, David J.
Categories:
For further information, please contact:
Laura Brass, Director of Business Development
(617) 495-3067
Reference Harvard Case #3782