Nanotechnology in Cancer Spotlighted at NSTI Nanotech 2005

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) views nanotechnology as a disruptive technology with major potential to drive a new generation of cancer diagnostics and therapeutic products that address major clinical needs, according to Gregory Downing, D.O., Ph.D., director of NCI’s Office of Technology and Industrial Relations. Over 2500 participants and 170 exhibiting companies attended the recent Nanotech 2005 Conference in Anaheim, California where Dr. Downing spoke. At a special symposium on May 10th, Dr. Downing described how the NCI Alliance for Nanotechnology in Cancer, launched in 2004, is advancing systems-level changes and new product development approaches to realize the potential of nanotechnology in cancer.

The need is critical, since cancer is now the major killer among people under the age of 85. With an aging population, cancer will trigger a major healthcare crisis unless significant progress is made soon in efforts to eliminate the suffering and death due to cancer. Healthcare costs attributable to cancer already total some $189 billion annually.

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Dr. Downing cited five reasons why now is the right time to leverage nanotechnology development in cancer for its high potential as a disruptive technology:

• The science of cancer is exploding, with major advances in genomics, proteomics, and computation and material sciences generating a tidal wave of data on the molecular underpinnings of disease and an increased understanding of the mechanisms that trigger cancer.
• The number of nanotechnology-based product candidates is expanding rapidly. Today, there are 61 nanotech-based drug and delivery systems and 91 devices or diagnostic tests in development.
• The private sector is becoming more engaged, investing $1.7 billion in nanotechnology in 2004. Over 88,000 patents were issued between 1976 and 2002, and 109 nanotech startups have secured venture funding since 1998.
• Government investment has soared. Funding for the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI), for example, has grown from $46 million in 2001 to $1.08 billion in 2005.
• State and regional commitment is high, with state and local governments investing over $864 million in nanotechnology research and development activity.

“Studying cancer as a disease process – including proliferation of cells, micro-invasion, immune invasion, cellular recruitment, dissemination, targeting, penetration, colonization and de-differentiation – requires a new set of tools that nanotechnology is uniquely capable of providing,” Dr. Downing said. Examples of the nanotech “toolbox” now available include cantilevers, carbon nanotubes, dendrimers, nanocrystals, nanoparticles, nanoshells, nanowires, and quantum dots.

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“Products made from each of these tools are moving toward the clinic,” he said, “but it’s clear that we need the development of standards and measurement technologies. Towards that end, NCI has established the Nanotechnology Characterization Laboratory (ncl.cancer.gov), which will develop a cascade of assays as a foundation for further product development and regulatory review.”

Dr. Downing described how nanotechnology can help in product development from “bench to bedside” and improve drug discovery efforts by addressing the complexities of cancer. Nanoparticles, for example, can have multiple functionalities that can provide detailed information on numerous disease processes simultaneously. Similarly, nanoscale devices can deliver multiple therapeutic agents to a tumor in order to simultaneously attack multiple points in the pathways involved in cancer. Nanotechnology is also generating in vivo biosensors that have the capability of detecting and pinpointing the location of tumors and metastatic lesions that are far smaller than those detectable using conventional technologies. Detecting cancer before it spreads completely changes the game when it comes to treating cancer, since non-metastatic cancer is rarely fatal. Nano-enabled in vivo sensors may also provide rapid information on whether a given therapy is actually working as expected, and targeted nano-based therapeutics that hone in on tumors stand to increase the efficacy of drugs while dramatically reducing potential side effects.

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Dr. Downing pointed to evidence that the NCI is already serving as a catalyst for turning the promise of nanotechnology into clinically useful products. Thanks to six years of funding nanotechnology applications in cancer, there are now at least three nanotechnology-based products being readied for human clinical trials, with more in the wings.

The NCI Alliance for Nanotechnology in Cancer will invest $144.3 million over the next 5 years to ignite nanotechnology-enabled product development. In addition to the Nanotechnology Characterization Laboratory, major programs include Centers of Nanotechnology Excellence, Multidisciplinary Research Teams, and Nanotechnology Platforms for Cancer Research.

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Finally, the NCI Alliance is committed to bridging the gaps among different disciplines (who often have different terminology and professional jargon); between the early stages of discovery and product development pathways; and among the many Federal agencies that are making investments in nanotechnology. At its website (nano.cancer.gov) researchers from all disciplines can find upcoming events, a survey of the current scientific literature, and funding opportunities.

“The Alliance will help to remove the barriers to effective realization of the huge potential of nanotech in cancer,” Dr. Downing concluded, “and over time we believe it will truly have a revolutionary impact on the diagnosis and treatment of cancer.”