Unmet Need: Effective therapy for inflammatory disorders.
Inflammation is a key physiological response to bacterial and viral infections. Neutrophils are an important part of the innate immune response and normally maintain a constant population by undergoing spontaneous apoptosis after a short lifespan of 8-20 hours. However, it is well known that neutrophils display exaggerated activation and inefficient clearance in response to insults such as microorganisms and damaged cells. This results in excessive inflammation that can contribute significantly to pathology. Current therapeutics to address excessive inflammation have many off-target effects, including immune suppression, which can lead to susceptibility to infection. There is an urgent need for targeted, efficient methods to specifically reduce inflammation without these negative side effects.
The Technology: Use of Doxorubicin-Conjugated Nanoparticles.
Researchers at WSU have developed a novel way to address excessive inflammation using nanoparticles that target neutrophils for apoptosis. These nanoparticles selectively target activated neutrophils and deliver doxorubicin intracellularly to induce apoptosis and thereby alleviate inflammation. Both in vitro and in vivo (mouse) studies have shown the efficacy of these nanoparticles.
Applications:
• Therapy for inflammatory disorders.
Advantages:
• Specific targeting.
• No cardio-toxicity observed when used as treatment in Sepsis affected mouse model.
Patent Information:
Provisional Patent application filed