[IEEE-bhpjobs] (fwd) SoCRA meeting topic for March 7, Liposomal Drug Delivery inCancer Treatment

[Esther Lumsdon]

Society of Clinical Research Associates
* Society of Clinical Research Associates (SoCRA)
http://www.socra.org/chapters.htm#North_Carolina_East
 > Monday, March 7, 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Location: DCRI 7th floor conference rm (guests welcome, must email 
cianc001 at mc.duke.edu)
For directions to DCRI, look at 
http://www.dcri.duke.edu/who_we_are/map.jsp
free, no snacks.

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Esther Lumsdon, RAC
Lumsd004 at dcri.duke.edu or e.Lumsdon at duke.edu

----- Forwarded by Esther Lumsdon/DCRI/mc/Duke on 03/07/2005 09:45 AM 
-----

Cresha Cianciolo/DCRI/mc/Duke
03/07/2005 09:31 AM

To
Esther Lumsdon/DCRI/mc/Duke at mc
cc

Subject
Re: question about SoCRA topic for March 7




Today's SoCRA topic is:


OUR TOPIC:     "Liposomal Drug Delivery in Cancer Treatment" 

SPEAKER:    Zeljko Vujaskovic, MD, Ph.D. 
  
SUMMARY: 

It is well recognized that when systemic chemotherapy is used in the 
treatment of solid tumors, it is almost impossible to achieve therapeutic 
levels of drug at the tumor site without damaging healthy organs and 
tissues. One solution to this problem is to encapsulate the drug in a 
biocompatible material that can be injected into the blood stream with the 
intention of delivering drug to a diseased site (e.g., solid tumor 
tissue).
Four key requirements of drug carrier design are essential. These 
requirements are "Retain (drug), Evade (the body's defenses), Target 
(tumor vasculature and tissue), and Release (drug specifically and quickly 
in tumors)" . Lipid-based drug carrier systems have been developed that 
can load and retain drug by passive encapsulation and remote pH-loading, 
evade the body's defenses and show extended circulation half lives (~24-48 
hrs), and target the interstitial tissue of tumors passively, due to 
inherent tumor vessel leakiness, and specifically, by antibody targeting 
to tumor cells). Conventional liposomes have been approved for use in a 
variety of diseases, and a pegylated "Stealth" formulation is approved for 
use in Kaposi's sarcoma and cisplatin-resistant ovarian cancer.  Drug 
eventually leaks out of such liposomes and there are situations where slow 
release has provided therapeutic benefit. However, the ability to control 
rapid and effective burst release of bioavailable drug at the target site 
would be extremely advantageous. 

This presentation will discuss the efforts at Duke University Cancer 
Center that have focused on developing a new, thermally sensitive liposome 
composition containing doxorubicin that has been optimized for both mild 
hyperthermic temperatures (40°C to 42°C) that are readily achievable in 
the clinic and for ultra fast drug release times of ~10-20 seconds.