The use of nanotechnology in treating cancer took a step forward with the demonstration that at least one class of nanoparticles can be manufactured with enough consistency for clinical use. From “Targeted Dendrimer Advances in Preclinical Studies“:
Although a variety of nanoparticles continue to show promise for improving cancer imaging and therapy, regulators and drug developers are concerned that these delivery systems may prove difficult to manufacture on a consistent basis, which is key for any agent designed for use in humans. A new study from James Baker, Jr., M.D., PI, Cancer Nanotechnology Platform Partnership at the University of Michigan, and colleagues provides data showing that such concerns can be overcome.
Writing in the journal Anti-Cancer Drugs, the investigators present the results of studies designed to show that they could achieve consistent and specific targeting and cell-killing activity across multiple manufacturing batches of a dendrimer-based therapeutic agent.
There are still many steps to go before it becomes clear which of the many types of nanoparticles being developed for targeted drug delivery will be clinically useful. Each step forward increases the chances that one or more approaches will succeed.
—Jim
