A novel paradigm of sensitization of the tumor microenvironment with image-guided ultrasound cavitation and mechanotherapeutics for targeted HCC treatment

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ABSTRACT The purpose of this project is to develop a novel image-guided approach for modulating the tumor microenvironment (TME) of HCC with combined mechanotherapeutic drugs (MechTx) and ultrasound cavitation treatment (USCTx), and evaluate its therapeutic efficacy. We plan to implement USCTx and the targeting and monitoring of the combined (with MechTx) treatment on a clinical scanner in order to make it widely available for future preclinical and clinical studies. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide with an estimated 750,000 new cases per year. Most patients with HCC who are not candidates for surgical removal or ablation are treated with either transarterial chemoembolization or systemic chemotherapy. Yet these treatments result in only limited improvements in patient survival at the expense of considerable toxicities. Our main hypothesis is that the combined USCTx and MechTx will lead to tumor pressure, stiffness and vascular changes that promote increased local tumor uptake of systemic or transarterial chemotherapeutics, and will result in better therapy outcomes. While the discovery of new chemotherapeutic agents and interventional procedures will continue to evolve, our approach to modulate the TME with combined MechTx and USCTx aims to dramatically improve chemotherapy outcomes with both the existing and future chemotherapy agents. A strong interdisciplinary team (bioengineers, scientists, clinicians) from academia and industry will collaborate in the following aims: (Aim 1) Evaluate the ability of MechTx to modulate the tumor microenvironment and enhance drug delivery; (Aim 2) Evaluate the ability of USCTx to modulate the tumor microenvironment and enhance drug delivery; (Aim 3) Evaluate the ability of combined MechTx and USCTx to modulate the tumor microenvironment and enhance drug delivery; and (Aim 4) Demonstrate the preclinical efficacy of chemotherapeutics when combined with MechTx and USCTx in survival studies using two in vivo models of HCC. The innovation of the project is in: (a) the use of MechTx as a novel therapeutic strategy to modulate tumor pressure, microvascular flow, and stiffness of the TME; (b) implementing image-guided USCTx on a clinical ultrasound scanner leading to translatable precision medicine for HCC; (c) utilizing the synergy of MechTx and USCTx as a novel and innovative approach for modulating the TME to maximize chemotherapy outcomes; and (d) combining super resolution and nonlinear Doppler processing to spatially and temporarily super-resolve the vasculature of tumors undergoing treatments that target the TME. The proposed project will take advantage of the distinct, yet synergistic mechanisms of MechTx and USCTx as a novel paradigm of sensitization of the TME to chemotherapeutics, leading to better treatment outcomes and overall survival for HCC patients initially and patients of other malignancies and diseases in the future.