Nanotech Drug Delivery Shows Promise For Improved Melanoma Treatment

Researchers at Oregon State University have developed a new three-drug delivery system for cancer treatment, especially metastatic melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer – and shown that the system may have particular value with cancers like this that often spread through the lymphatic system.

The new technology takes advantage of nanoparticles that can migrate to, and increase the effectiveness of an attack on cancer cells in the body’s lymph nodes. This can also reduce the development of drug resistance and the broader toxicity often associated with this type of chemotherapy.

“Melanoma can be a very difficult cancer to treat because it often metastasizes and travels through the lymphatic system,” said Adam Alani, an assistant professor in the Oregon State University/Oregon Health & Science University College of Pharmacy, and lead author on this research. “Melanoma has a high mortality rate because the lymph nodes tend to act as a haven for cancer cells, and allow them to resist treatment through chemotherapy,” he said.

The new OSU research, however, was able to combine three anti-cancer drugs at the same time into a nanoparticle delivery system. After injection, these nanoparticles primarily migrated to lymph nodes, acted in a synergistic manner that was more powerful than any one drug could be separately, and were able to maximize their impact in those locations while minimizing the development of drug resistance and overall toxicity.

The nanoparticles used to carry these cancer drugs are stable, increase the drug circulation time, and can deliver multiple drugs in a single step to the desired target, the research showed. They offer a novel therapeutic option for effective melanoma treatment, the scientists wrote in their conclusion.