The development of molecularly imprinted polymer nanoparticles for cancer theranostics

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The goal of this project is the development of molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) capable of targeting cancer biomarkers for the delivery of imaging and therapeutic agents. This includes the use of a newly-developed MIP-based technique for epitope mapping of cells and proteins, in order to identify clinically-relevant biomarkers. The primary target of this project is epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), a transmembrane protein over-expressed by a variety of cancer cells. Several cell lines (including breast and head and neck) were selected for their high expression levels of EGFR and MIP-based epitope mapping was performed. The peptides identified using this technique were analysed both with regards to source protein and cellular location (intracellular, transmembrane or extracellular). The EGFR peptides were isolated and several sequences selected for further study based on abundance on specific cell types or location within the cell. These peptides were ordered from a commercial provider for use as template molecules for the generation of MIP nanoparticles. These nanoparticles are to be tagged with fluorescent or PET-active agents for use in labelling EGFR within cells. This will be undertaken with each cell type for which epitope mapping was performed in order to validate MIP-based epitope mapping as a quantitative technique for the identification of biomarkers and epitopes. The final aspect of the project will be the delivery of therapeutic agents including boron for boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) via incorporation of a boron-containing monomer.