Publication date: 28th June 2024
Low delivery efficiency and toxicity of many chemotherapeutics limit their effectiveness in cancer treatment. Local chemotherapy is an approach to increase the effectiveness of cancer treatment. To enable not only spatial, but also temporal control of drug delivery, we utilize iontronic pumps (IPs). Drug delivery with IPs is achieved by electrophoretic transport of ions through ion-exchange membranes (IEM).1 IEMs consist of crosslinked networks of charged polymers that block transport of oppositely charged compounds. Important requirements for IEMs are ion-selectivity and passive leakage prevention. In case of ion-selective and low leakage IPs, electronic current corresponds to the ionic delivery current, thus providing a drug delivery platform with high dosage control. However, IP drug delivery is limited to low Mw and charged compounds, making it unsuitable for delivery of large or uncharged drugs.2 To expand the drug library with large and uncharged drugs, we envision the delivery of a small trigger for the release of potent chemotherapeutics via a bioorthogonal click-to-release mechanism. Ligation of the potent chemotherapeutics onto a hydrogel, located at the tumor site, ensures local release and high concentration of the drug and the bioorthogonal approach reduces side effects. Our goal is to control drug concentration profiles at the tumor site, which opens op avenues for spatiotemporally controlled administration of highly potent chemotherapeutics, without the need for systemic administration of (pro)drugs or drug conjugates.
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101099963