Avid Bioservices Inc (CDMO)

[hutschi]

Phosphatidylserine-Targeted Nanotheranostics for Brain Tumor Imaging and Therapeutic Potential.

Wang L1, Habib AA2,3, Mintz A4,5, Li KC4,6, Zhao D1,3.

Author information

12 Department of Neurology and Neurotherapeutics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA.3 North Texas VA Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA.4 Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA.

Abstract

Phosphatidylserine (PS), the most abundant anionic phospholipid in cell membrane, is strictly confined to the inner leaflet in normal cells. However, this PS asymmetry is found disruptive in many tumor vascular endothelial cells. We discuss the underlying mechanisms for PS asymmetry maintenance in normal cells and its loss in tumor cells. The specificity of PS exposure in tumor vasculature but not normal blood vessels may establish it a useful biomarker for cancer molecular imaging. Indeed, utilizing PS-targeting antibodies, multiple imaging probes have been developed and multimodal imaging data have shown their high tumor-selective targeting in various cancers. There is a critical need for improved diagnosis and therapy for brain tumors. We have recently established PS-targeted nanoplatforms, aiming to enhance delivery of imaging contrast agents across the blood-brain barrier to facilitate imaging of brain tumors. Advantages of using the nanodelivery system, in particular, lipid-based nanocarriers, are discussed here. We also describe our recent research interest in developing PS-targeted nanotheranostics for potential image-guided drug delivery to treat brain tumors.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28654387