Theranostic 3-Dimensional nano brain-implant for prolonged and localized treatment of recurrent glioma.

Localized and controlled delivery of chemotherapeutics directly in brain-tumor for prolonged periods may radically improve the prognosis of recurrent glioblastoma. Here, we report a unique method of nanofiber by fiber controlled delivery of anti-cancer drug, Temozolomide, in orthotopic brain-tumor for one month using flexible polymeric nano-implant. A library of drug loaded (20 wt%) electrospun nanofiber of PLGA-PLA-PCL blends with distinct in vivo brain-release kinetics (hours to months) were numerically selected and a single nano-implant was formed by co-electrospinning of nano-fiber such that different set of fibres releases the drug for a specific periods from days to months by fiber-by-fiber switching. Orthotopic rat glioma implanted wafers showed constant drug release (116.6 µg/day) with negligible leakage into the peripheral blood (<100 ng) rendering ~1000 fold differential drug dosage in tumor versus peripheral blood. Most importantly, implant with one month release profile resulted in long-term (>4 month) survival of 85.7% animals whereas 07 day releasing implant showed tumor recurrence in 54.6% animals, rendering a median survival of only 74 days. In effect, we show that highly controlled drug delivery is possible for prolonged periods in orthotopic brain-tumor using combinatorial nanofibre libraries of bulk-eroding polymers, thereby controlling glioma recurrence.

The Holy Grail of Polymer Therapeutics for Cancer Therapy: An Overview on the Pharmacokinetics and Bio Distribution.

In recent years, multifaceted clinical benefits of polymeric therapeutics have been reported. Over the past decades, cancer has been one of the leading causes of mortality in the world. Many clinically approved chemotherapeutics encounter potential challenges against deadly cancer. Moreover, safety and efficacy of anticancer agents have been limited by undesirable pharmacokinetics and biodistribution. To address these limitations, various polymer drug conjugates are being studied and developed to improve the antitumor efficacy. Among other therapeutics, polymer therapeutics are well established platforms that circumvent anticancer therapeutics from enzymatic metabolism via direct conjugation to therapeutic molecules. Interestingly, polymer therapeutics meets an unmet need of small molecules. Further clinical study showed that polymer-drug conjugation can achieve desired pharmacokinetics and biodistribution properties of several anticancer drugs. The present retrospective review mainly enlightens the most recent preclinical and clinical studies include safety, stability, pharmacokinetic behavior and distribution of polymer therapeutics.