Nanocells for vascular normalization therapies

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The objective of this proposed study is to synthesize and validate multifunctional 3T (targeting, tracking, and treating) nanocells for repair of blood vessels damaged by acute renal ischemic- reperfusion injury. For this study, nanocells are defined as nano-sized drug-encapsulating polymersomes, structurally similar to biological cells. Clinical studies suggest that certain antibodies and cytokines that bind to endothelial cells can be used as drugs that induce vascular normalization and ultimately improve treatments of various acute, chronic and malignant diseases. It has been often proposed that such vascular normalization therapies can be significantly improved by combining these drugs with carriers capable of targeting and tracking to the target blood vessels. However, the development of such multifunctional drug carriers has been plagued by difficulties in independently controlling targeting, tracking and treatment functions. We hypothesize that the 3T function of nanocells can be independently tuned by (1) integrating into the nanocell via self- assembly process, a targeting module, a poly (glycerol) substituted with varying numbers of alkyl chains and leaky endothelium-targeting oligopeptides, and (2) further incorporating into the nanocell via in situ encapsulation, surface-engineered super paramagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles that enable tracking of the nanocell via magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The resulting 3T nanocells will allow us to significantly improve the vascular normalization while monitoring 3T nanocells' therapeutic activity using MRI. We will accomplish our goals, first, by modifying and validating the nanocells with targeting modules via self-assembly [Aim 1]; second, by encapsulating iron oxide nanoparticles in the nanocell created in the Aim 1 study and validating its tracking function [Aim 2]; and finally incorporating drugs that normalize leaky blood vessels, specifically Angiopoietin 1, in the nanocells created in the Aim 2 study and evaluating its function to treat porcine renal arteries damaged by acute ischemia-reperfusion injury [Aim 3]. In this study, polymersomes of alkyl-substituted poly (2-hydroxy ethyl aspartamide) (PEHA) filled with biodegradable poly (ethylene glycol) nanogels will be used as nanocells. This proposed study will be implemented through an extensive interdisciplinary collaboration between a biomaterials group [Kong, University of Illinois (UI)]; organic and polymer synthesis group [Zimmerman, UI]; and bioimaging and vascular medicine group [Misra, Mayo Clinic]. The results of this proposed study are expected to significantly impact research in bioengineering and clinical strategies in medicine, because it will not only create an innovative strategy for assembling multifunctional drug carriers, but also validate its functionality to improve vascular normalization.