Advantages of Prodrugs
Increased efficacy and reduced toxicity by better targeting of cancer cells
The majority of nanomedicines on the market, as well as in innovation pipelines, consist of nano carriers or vessels in which the active drug is physically encapsulated within, or adsorbed to, the nanoparticulate structure. These vessels typically carry a limited amount of the active drug relative to their own weight, and a proportion of the drug is likely to leak prior to reaching the cancer cells.
NanoMed’s prodrug nanomedicine has a fundamentally different composition. Rather than physically encapsulating the active drug, the inactive prodrug is chemically linked into the makeup of the nanoparticles.
There are many clinical advantages which result from this novel prodrug nanomedicine:
1) our nanoparticles can carry significantly larger amounts of the prodrug than current nanomedicines with physical encapsulation of drugs,
2) they are not likely to leak as the drug is chemically attached to the nanoparticles,
3) PEG coating on the external surface of the nanoparticles protects the drug from enzymatic degradation during biocirculation, and
4) the cancer cells are exposed to significantly larger doses of chemotherapeutics by passive or active targeting of our prodrug nanomedicine.
A multi-compartment delivery system
The self-assembly of our nanoparticles is modular. This enables us to incorporate several prodrugs or diagnostic agents, or any combination thereof, just as easily as incorporating a single agent. The modular system makes NanoMed’s multidrug nanomedicine ideal for treating resistant cancer cells, as well as combining therapeutic and diagnostic functions (theranostics). Theranostics pave the way for individual observation and adjustment of the treatment per patient rather than relying on averages or global measures, giving substance to the notion of personalised medicine.
The multi-compartmental nature of NanoMed’s technology enables the incorporation of immunotherapy and other biological enhancers into our nanomedicines. We have established successfully the bioconjugation of a cancer-specific antibody into our pipeline of chemotherapeutic nanomedicines, and this method may be readily adapted to any other immunotherapy technology.
CONTACT
Lane Cove West Business Park
Unit 2, 11/13 Orion Road,
Lane Cove West NSW 2066,
Australia
Telephone: +61 2 9418 6050
E-mail: info@nanomed.com.au