Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Another magic bullet

From the abstract of the article:

"We describe the development and clinical translation of a targeted polymeric nanoparticle (TNP) containing the chemotherapeutic docetaxel (DTXL) for the treatment of patients with solid tumors. DTXL-TNP is targeted to prostate-specific membrane antigen, a clinically validated tumor antigen expressed on prostate cancer cells and on the neovasculature of most nonprostate solid tumors. DTXL-TNP was developed from a combinatorial library of more than 100 TNP formulations varying with respect to particle size, targeting ligand density, surface hydrophilicity, drug loading, and drug release properties."

I am impressed – we have all important key words here:

-       polymeric nanoparticle

-       nanoparticle (separately, meaning as a part of nanotechnological packet)

-       targeted, targeting ligand density

-       a clinically validated tumor antigen

-       combinatorial library



Usually it is necessary to have just one of these keywords to brag that you develop very promising drug, therefore in this case we have at least blockbuster candidate (if not a magic bullet!) I do believe that the authors have done a lot of hard work. Well, it would be impolite to say that the drug will not be successful in coming clinical trials; therefore I am just keeping silence…  

No comments:

Post a Comment