| Summary: | Cancer is a disease that affects up to one in two people [1]. There are currently a wide variety of treatment options available but these are limited by toxic side effects such as myelosuppression and alopecia [2]. One new treatment option being developed is theranostics. Theranostics is a technique that combines therapeutic and diagnostic components, and is increasingly of interest in the field of oncology.
In my research, I am investigating the development of a theranostic compound. This compound will be 2-(4-amino-3-methylphenyl)-5-fluorobenzothiazole (5F 203) and lead sulphide (PbS) quantum dots (QDs) encapsulated in apoferritin (AFt). AFt has previously been identified [3] as an ideal drug delivery system due to its biocompatibility and non-toxicity to human cells. AFt is obtained by dialysis of ferritin (Ft), and is able to exploit the overexpressed transferrin TfR1 receptor on breast cancer cells, thus providing selectivity. The anti-tumour agent 5F 203 induces activation of the cytochrome p450 1a1 (cyp1a1) gene, causing cancer cell death via the formation of DNA adducts. The effect of this compound will be studied on breast cancer cell lines MCF-7 and MDA-MB-468.
As diagnostic agents, QDs (nanoparticles with a diameter of 2-10 nm) have shown great potential for imaging. After stimulation by light absorption, they have the ability to emit at different wavelengths depending on their size. In this study, PbS QDs were investigated, which emit light in the second near infrared (NIR) close-up window between 900 and 1300 nm. QDs also have a low absorption by biological tissues and lower light scattering, resulting in deeper tissue penetration of the emitted light, and are thus show great potential for imaging.
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