Session C1
6042
Disclaimer — This paper partially fulfills a writing requirement for first year (freshman) engineering students at the University
of Pittsburgh Swanson School of Engineering. This paper is a student, not a professional, paper. This paper is based on
publicly available information and may not be provide complete analyses of all relevant data. If this paper is used for any
purpose other than these authors’ partial fulfillment of a writing requirement for first year (freshman) engineering students at
the University of Pittsburgh Swanson School of Engineering, the user does so at his or her own risk.
THE BENEFITS OF NANOPARTICLES AS AN ALTERNATIVE TO
CHEMOTHERAPY ALONE IN TRIPLE-NEGATIVE BREAST CANCER
TREATMENT
Eliza Schally, ems221@pitt.edu, Mena 4:00, Dana Scherler, das240@pitt.edu, Vidic 2:00
Revised Proposal — The use of molecular-targeted
nanoparticles is a more efficient and effective method of
delivering breast cancer-treating pharmaceuticals than
standard chemotherapy treatment alone. Chemotherapy has
been known to cause harsh side effects and often leads to
tumors developing a resistance to the drugs used [1]. This
molecular targeting allows the nanoparticles, typically
administered intravenously, to actively seek out and only affect
cancerous tissue, which leaves less of a chance for the drugs
to cause the negative side effects associated with
chemotherapy, such as cardiotoxicity, neuropathy, extreme
fatigue and nausea, hematological toxicity, and skin necrosis
[2]. Furthermore, nanoparticles have a controlled release
feature that lessens the chance of the tumor developing a
resistance to the treatment as compared to a burst of treatment
followed by a rest period, which a patient would experience
while receiving chemotherapy.
Nanoparticles have been known to treat cancerous tumors in
general but one of the most recent advancements in this type
of treatment is in the treatment of triple-negative breast
cancer, which is a “highly aggressive subcategory of breast
cancer [that] currently lacks well-defined molecular targets
for effective targeted therapies” [3]. Some nanoparticles that
are being researched in their abilities to treat triple-negative
breast cancer are lipid ECO-based nanoparticles, which
target β3 integrin with the drug siRNA [3] and human serum
albumin nanoparticles which target the epidermal growth
factor receptor with the drug lapatinib [4].
Research on the use of nanoparticles in the delivery of breast
cancer treatment drugs will mostly come from academic
journals and other online articles. This application of
nanoparticles is a new, innovative technology; therefore, the
available research and published journals are current and
plentiful. Using this research, this paper will first introduce
nanotechnology and nanoparticles. Then, we will explain how
the nanoparticles are able to deliver the chemotherapy drugs
directly to the tumor, and why this is a significantly better
method than traditional chemotherapy. After giving a general
explanation of the role of nanoparticles in cancer treatment,
we will elaborate on several specific nanoparticles, such as
lipid ECO-based nanoparticles, and their particular uses.
University of Pittsburgh Swanson School of Engineering
1/29/16
While there are currently many unknowns surrounding
nanotechnology and its uses, nanoparticles have the potential
to greatly improve the unnecessary side effects of traditional
chemotherapy. Further research and development of the
applications of nanoparticles in breast cancer treatment will
allow for a safer and more exact way of eliminating tumors,
opening doors for continued research in the uses of
nanoparticles in the treatment of other cancers.
REFERENCES
[1] Y. M. Abaza, C. Alemany, et al. (2014). “Nanoparticle
Albumin-Bound-Paclitaxel in the Treatment of Metastatic
Urethral Adenocarcinoma: The Significance of Molecular
Profiling and Targeted Therapy.” Case Reports in Urology.
(Online
article).
http://web.b.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail/detail?vid=11&sid=c
b0a2f81-4cea-4fe3-8e74e729b4538d58%40sessionmgr120&hid=118&bdata=JnNpdG
U9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#AN=100534925&db=aph
[2] E. J. Sanchez-Barcelo, M. D. Mediavilla, C. AlonsoGonzalez, R. J. Reiter. (2012, April 16). “Melatonin uses in
oncology: breast cancer preventuion and reduction of the side
effects of chemotherapy and radiation.” Expert Opinion on
Investigational
Drugs.
(Online
article).
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1517/13543784.2012.
681045
[3] J. G. Parvani, M. D. Gujirati, M. A. Mack, W. P.
Schiemann, Z. Lu, et al. (2015, June 6). “Silencing β3 Integrin
by Targeted ECO/siRNA Nanoparticles Inhibits EMT and
Metastasis of Triple-Negative Breast Cancer.” Cancer
Research.
(Online
article).
http://web.b.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail/detail?vid=5&sid=cb
0a2f81-4cea-4fe3-8e74e729b4538d58%40sessionmgr120&hid=118&bdata=JnNpdG
U9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#AN=103084067&db=aph
[4] X. Wan, X. Zheng, X. Pang, Z. Zhang, T. Jing, W. Xu, Q.
Zhang, et al. (2015, April). “The potential use of lapatinibloaded human serum albumin nanoparticles in the treatment of
triple-negative breast cancer.” International Journal of
Pharmaceutics.
(Online
article).
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Eliza Schally
Dana Scherler
http://web.b.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail/detail?vid=6&sid=cb
0a2f81-4cea-4fe3-8e74e729b4538d58%40sessionmgr120&hid=118&bdata=JnNpdG
U9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#AN=101919012&db=aph
ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY
A. Bhargava-Shah, K. Foygel, R. Devulapally, R.
Paulmurugan, et al. (2016, January 20). “Orlistat and
antisense-miRNA-loaded PLGA-PEG nanoparticles for
enhanced triple negative breast cancer therapy.”
Nanomedicine
(London).
(Online
article).
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26787319
This research article, published in a medically focused
journal by Future Medicine, focuses on the use of hydrophilic
polyethylene glycol-conjugated polylactic-co-glycolic acid
nanoparticles (PLGA-PEG-NPs) loaded with orlistat (an antiobesity drug typically used to treat diabetes) in conjunction
with chemotherapy. It states that successful treatment of triplenegative breast cancer would require lower doses of
chemotherapy drugs and thus lessen the harm it inflicts on
patients. This confirms the efficacy of nanoparticles.
G. Hermerén. (2007, October 21). “Challenges in the
Evaluation of Nanoscale Research: Ethical Aspects.” Springer
Science
+
Business
Media.
(Online
article).
http://web.a.ebscohost.com/ehost/command/detail?sid=ab000
6c8-649f-44b9-8e480c2b90d7e5f0%40sessionmgr4003&vid=6&hid=4112
This article, from a professional, peer-reviewed journal
specializing in informed discussion of ethical and social
concerns of nanotechnology, weighs the scientific advantages
against the ethical disadvantages of nanoscale research. By
comparing nanotechnology to any new technology, this article
conveys that the benefits cannot be discovered until they are
tested. Information from this article will help us justify the use
of nanotechnology, even with its many uncertainties, in breast
cancer treatment.
W. J. Irvin Jr., L. A. Carey, et al. (2008, December). “What is
triple-negative breast cancer?” European Journal of Cancer.
(Online
article).
http://rt4rf9qn2y.scholar.serialssolutions.com/?sid=google&a
uinit=WJ&aulast=Irvin&atitle=What+is+triplenegative+breast+cancer%3F&id=doi:10.1016/j.ejca.2008.09.
034&title=European+journal+of+cancer+(1990)&volume=44
&issue=18&date=2008&spage=2799
This article, from a professional, peer-reviewed journal
that discusses original research in oncology, defines triplenegative breast cancer and its characteristics, including its
current risk factors and therapies. This article will give us
information about the current therapy, chemotherapy, to
compare to molecular-targeted nanoparticles. Furthermore,
statistics from this article, such as the number of deaths from
triple-negative breast cancer, will help us emphasize the need
for a new method of treatment.
“Nanoparticles Smart Drug Delivery System for Cancer”
LexInnova.
(2013,
October).
http://www.wipo.int/export/sites/www/patentscope/en/progra
ms/patent_landscapes/documents/lexinnova_nanoparticles_s
mart_delivery_system_for_tumors.pdf
Information from this article, written by a preeminent legal
solutions provider, gives an overview of nanotechnology in
general and then assesses the benefits of using nanoparticles to
treat cancer, proposing that eventually they may be used as a
complete alternative to chemotherapy. This will be the main
source of information about the general technological and
biological processes in this area of medicine, serving as a
foundation for specific examples.
J. G. Parvani, M. D. Gujirati, M. A. Mack, W. P. Schiemann,
Z. Lu, et al. (2015, June 6). “Silencing β3 Integrin by Targeted
ECO/siRNA Nanoparticles Inhibits EMT and Metastasis of
Triple-Negative Breast Cancer.” Cancer Research. (Online
article).
http://web.b.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail/detail?vid=5&sid=cb
0a2f81-4cea-4fe3-8e74e729b4538d58%40sessionmgr120&hid=118&bdata=JnNpdG
U9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#AN=103084067&db=aph
This article, published in the most cited professional peerreviewed cancer journal in the world, details the use of lipid
ECO-based nanoparticles to deliver β3 integren siRNA, a
metastasis-inhibiting therapeutic agent used in treating triplenegative breast cancer. This information will be used as a
specific example of the effectiveness of nanoparticles as
opposed to chemotherapy in the application of treatment of this
particular type of breast cancer.
S. Ruan, L. Zhang, J. Chen, T. Cao, Y. Yang, Y. Liu, Q. He,
F. Gao, H. Gao, et al. (2015, June 27). “Targeting delivery and
deep penetration using multistage nanoparticles for triplenegative breast cancer.” RSC Advances. (Online article).
http://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlepdf/2015/ra/c5ra12436k
This article, from a professional, peer-reviewed journal
that covers all chemical sciences with the goal of advancing
development of the various fields, explains how drug-loaded
nanocarriers are systematically delivered to tumor sites and
details delivery strategies to enhance deeper penetration into
the tumor. This information will help us understand the
logistics of how nanoparticles can target a tumor in
comparison to traditional cancer treatments.
J. Silva, A. R. Fernandes, P. V. Baptista. (2014). “Application
of Nanotechnology in Drug Delivery.” INTECH. (Online
article).
http://www.intechopen.com/books/application-ofnanotechnology-in-drug-delivery/application-ofnanotechnology-in-drug-delivery
This article, from a professional, peer-reviewed online
book specializing in the fields of science, technology, and
medicine, introduces the use of nanomedicine for cancer. This
article conveys that traditional treatments, like chemotherapy,
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Eliza Schally
Dana Scherler
target all cells, while nanoparticles can specifically target the
tumor cells. We will use this article to provide a general
introduction of the uses and benefits of nanotechnology in
cancer treatment.
X. Wan, X. Zheng, X. Pang, Z. Zhang, T. Jing, W. Xu, Q.
Zhang, et al. (2015, April). “The potential use of lapatinibloaded human serum albumin nanoparticles in the treatment of
triple-negative breast cancer.” International Journal of
Pharmaceutics.
(Online
article).
http://web.b.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail/detail?vid=6&sid=cb
0a2f81-4cea-4fe3-8e74e729b4538d58%40sessionmgr120&hid=118&bdata=JnNpdG
U9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#AN=101919012&db=aph
Cited from a journal for pharmaceutical scientists with a
special section on pharmaceutical nanotechnology, this article
describes why triple-negative breast cancer and molecular
targeted therapy are compatible and details how labatinibloaded HSA nanoparticles are more effective in penetration
and inhibition of triple-negative breast tumors. This provides
insight into the interactions between nanoparticles, cancer
treatment drugs, and breast cancer cells and details the use of
a specific nanoparticle in this application.
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